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COOPERSTOWN
As you gaze out through the arches at Cooperstown Dream Park and see the fog lift and the mist settle it is getting close to show time.
There are less than four weeks until the ASA Titans from the Bay Area, California head to New York to play on a national stage.
This year’s 12U All-Star Academy Titans have high hopes this summer. And it all begins right here.
The team, fielded by All-Star Academy in Santa Clara, California and Managed by Brady Austin, is eyeing Cooperstown, and getting ready to play at the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer.
The Titans will take to the field in New York in the Cooperstown Dreams Park 12U Invitational tournament, set to begin July 30. The team of 12-year-olds wants to come home with not only a winning record but a memory that will last forever.
This year’s squad is comprised of little league all-stars from several leagues in the Bay Area. We haven’t had a chance to practice or play as a team yet because of the little league All-Stars that are taking place. But I am very excited about the Team this year and can’t wait to get them reved up and on the field. Everyone’s goal is to get to the final rounds but if we can come home with a winning record we would of done what we set forth to do..
We don’t have any real power hitters on this team so our goal will be to have a good approach at the plate and execute well. If we can do the little things right we’ll go a long way. We want to play solid defense and stick to fundamental offense; get them on, move them over and score them.
Despite the results or wherever the team ends up in the tournament bracket, the invitational will be a huge step in the development of the players. Getting these kids on a national stage at this age is a way to show them what it takes to be committed to the sport of Baseball.
My expectations are high and the team knows this. We teach these players at a higher level than most. Not only are they learning a lot about the game but they are getting a preview of what takes to play at the next level.
So wish us luck, and I will let you all know how we do. Until then stay tune and look for updates.
TITANS 12u RUNNER UP IN FALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Outstanding tournament for our boys this past weekend. I would like to congratulate the team and their parents for a great tournament. All I can to say is wow! That is Titans baseball at its best. These boys have come so far in such a short time it is impressive. The boys have become more aggressive, they’re not afraid of the ball as much; they like getting dirty and diving for balls. They have come a long way. They’ve really matured as ball players. It’s just fun to watch.
Runners up for the Fall State Championship….how sweet is that. Who would of ever guest, bringing home hardware in our first year as a team. That is an indication that the Titans are for real. The bright side, it only gets better. We’ve grown quite a bit as a team in these last two months and become closer as a unit. Can’t wait to see what the future holds for these boys.
Well I think the Titans got a little taste of victory in that last tournament and really like it. Gave them a little push, a little drive and things start to fall into place. You get a little taste of winning and it bring out the best in players. These boys have worked hard and it nice to see it paying off. The steps are turning into strides and the strides turning into leaps. And before you know it you’re completing for a championship.
A quick recap of the tournament:
Game 1 – A nail bitter at Fall State Championship.
Coming into game one we knew who we were playing, the same team that beat us at BLD’s. The boys knew they were a better team. And they proved it. We lost the toss and had to hit first. Kennedy started the game with a base hit and that set the tempo. We scored in the 1st and they respond.
Third inning rolls around they get our 1st two hitters out but the Titans rally to knock their starter out. With a little momentum we rally for 5 hits and score 4 runs. All with two outs. They came to the plate and respond with 6. The difference there was we walked 4 guys and made an error. The score now is 7 – 5 the cougars.
But the Titans don’t give in. We score one more in the 4th. Cougars are winning 7 -6. We go to the 5th. They shut us down. And they come to the plate. Their lead off guy gets a base hit. Next guy get a base hit. They score another one. We make an error and walk the following hitter to load the bases. Now picture this. Bases loaded NO OUTS. Nico is pitching. He holds his composure to get the next three hitters out. WOW! That’s Titans baseball.
We go to the 6th. We are down 8 – 6. But the Titans don’t give up. Our lead off reaches 1st with a walk. Next hitter, Nico, goes 0-2 makes an adjustment fights off three more pitches and hits a ground ball to the left side. To move the runner over, a great at bat. Next hitter strikes out. Two outs top of the sixth runner on second. Aaron comes up and gets a base hit to score the run. Brings us within one run. We start to show some life. We loaded the bases. But couldn’t get that last run in. We come away with an 8 – 7 loss. The errors were the difference in that game. We made 5, they made 1.
Talk about an exciting game. Doesn’t get much better. But wait revenge will come!
Top Players: Nico Lipari – Pitches out of an inning with bases loaded no outs. Kennedy Ojeda makes a beautiful throw to the plate to stop a run. (3B)David Farnham, 2 hits Ryo Shida
Titans take it to the Capitol
Well we loss the toss again but drew first blood. The Titans loaded the bases and David Farnham comes up and drives in the first two runs. Titans were feeling pretty good knowing that they had the big right Aaron Lopez on the bump.
They came back in the bottom half with two of their own when the first three batters got hits. Then Aaron Lopez struck out the next two and got a ground ball to end the inning. Once Aaron settle down and got into a rhythm he shut them down.
The Capitols took the lead and were feeling pretty good, up 4 -2 but the Titans weren’t done. Far from over, the Titans score 4 in the third to take the lead. From that point on it was history. Titans scored every inning and never look back. They play errorless baseball after the second inning. They rallied for 14 hits scored 18 runs and only made two mistakes.
They started to fine their groove. And when the Titans get that feeling, look out. I think this is when the Titans are at their best.
Top players: (WP) Aaron Lopez 6 K’s in 4 innings, (2B) Matt Johnston, (2 hits) Kennedy Ojeda, Ben Champion, Sean Juanes, Aaron Lopez
Titans get revenge in the semi finals
The Titans face the Cougars for the third time this season. Going into the semis the Cougars had the Titans number. They had beaten them twice before and thought well here is another win. But the Titans had a different agenda. It was more than getting to the championship game. It was revenge time. They wanted this game more than anything else. They knew they were a better team and they wanted to prove it.
Matt Johnston gets the call and takes the hill. First hitter drives the ball deep and gets a triple. Matt does his job and gets three ground balls. Unfortunately they get one out of it. They game got off to a slow start with the Cougars scoring in the bottom half of the first.
It was 1 – 0 until the fourth when again with two outs the Titans show just how tough they can be with two down. They string a few hits together and scored 4 runs. Matt with a good tempo throws 4 scoreless innings. We go to the 5th and the Titans get two more. Titans hold the Cougars scoreless again. Titans score yet another one in the 6th. Things start to look good for the Titans but they been there before, no lead is a good lead.
Cougar come to the plate and bang a triple to lead the bottom of the 6th off. Matt gets the next hitter to pop out to the pitcher. Matt walks the next hitter. The runner on third scores on a pass ball. The cougars get to the top of the lineup. They get two hits. They get to second and third on a pass ball. Titans decide to make a pitching change and go to their ace, Ben Champion. He get’s their 4 hitter to fly out to right that scores another run. Score now 7 – 5 Titans. With two outs Ben knew it was do or die. The next hitter went 0 – 2, then fouled off 4 straight pitches. Ben wore him down and finally got him on the 7th pitch. Another exciting finish for the Titans. This time they ended up on the winner’s side. And it couldn’t have come at a better time against the team we wanted to beat. That’s baseball at it best.
Top players: (WP) Matt Johnston, (S) Ben Champion (2B) Nate Spencley, Aaron Lopez (3 hits) Nate Spencley (2 hits) David Farnham, Simon Heck
Titans in the championship game
The Titans were excited to be in the big game. They’ve work hard for it and it finally paid off.
By the flip of the coin Titans win the toss. Kado hit first and didn’t waste any time getting on the board. They banged three hits and scored 2 runs. Titans responded with 3 runs and 4 hits of their own. Then the third inning came around and Titans scored again. That brought the score to 4 – 2 Titans.
Kado came to the plate in the fourth. The first two hitters got on base and the Titans call in their lefty. Nate shut them down but they had a scored 2 more on a throwing error and a pass ball by the Titans. That didn’t shake up the Titans as they responded with 4 more runs. This force Kado to make a pitching change which stopped the bleeding. That shut down the Titans as we went scoreless in the 5th.
Then in the fifth Titans pitching started to fall apart. The first 4 hitters got on base. Titans then went to their bull pen once again. Simon Heck got the call. There we able to score one more to tie the game at 8. They held the Titans scoreless in the bottom half.
Then in the sixth Kado had the top of the order coming to the plate. The Titans walk the lead off hitter. They struck out the next guy. Then there 3 hitter hit a double. That’s when the Titans decide to go to their pen again. Try to keep the damage to a minimum. Kado was able to score two more which put the score at 12 – 8 going into the bottom half of the 6th.
Titans come up and hit the ball hard but right at the center fielder. Next guy walks. Aaron Lope hits another shot to center but it was pulled down again by their center fielder. And the rest is history. Titans were able to get a couple guys on base but just couldn’t score them.
This was an exciting game to watch. Both teams were battling back and forth. Game was tied going into the last inning. You couldn’t ask for a better match up. The difference in the game was timely errors and pass balls.
Top players: (2B) Matt Johnston, (2 hits) Kennedy Ojeda, Matt Johnston, Sean Juanes
Web Jams: Chase Bishop diving play at second base
12U Titans lose a heart breaker to the South County 8-7 in the bottom of the 6th.
This was a well played game by both sides. South County wins the coin toss so they took home team. But the Titans came to play. They figured if they were going to hit first they would score first and that they did. Titans get two in the top of the first
South County gets their lead off guy on with an error. Ben Champion K’s the next hitter and then gives up a little Texas leaguer over 1st base. Next guy walks. Number five hitter comes up and hits a ground ball to short stop and the titans were unable to turn the double play. South County comes up with three.
We go into the fourth and the Titans score one with a sac fly by Simon Heck. South County responds with two more of their own. With the Score 5 – 3 Titans didn’t give up. They rally for four to take the lead 7 – 5. Titans feeling pretty good about coming back but the game was far from over. South County gets the first guy on with a walk. He steals second and the next hitter drives him in with a base hit. Number four hitter walks and advances by a pass ball. The next hitter hits a ground ball to third base and it get by him. Scores two runs and that was the ball game.
Titans lose their opener 8 -7.
This was a very well played game by the Titans. Made a couple mistakes but that is understandable being the first game the titans have ever played as a team. The coaches were very pleased on their performance and their approaches at the plate. “It’s always tough to lose a close one that but these guys showed a lot of heart today.”
Top Players: 2B with 2 RBI’s – David Farnham, Ben Champion 1 -1 with 2 BB, Chase 1 – 1 on base twice. Sean 1 – 1.
Web Jams: Diving catch by Nathan Spencely in the outfield.
The Titans will take the field this weekend for the first time together as a team. The emotions are high and the players are excited to start their tournament season. Although the summer is over the Titans are just getting started. This team of twelve has not yet been able to practice or play as a full squad yet. So it will be interesting to see how this club unfolds in tournament play. The coaches are anxious to see how they will perform in a game situation.
“We may not have the best talent out there this year but we do have a great group of players. These boys are polite, show a lot of class, have good sportsmanship but best of all the care about each other. It will be fun to watch them grow and mature not only as players but as young men”.
We have already told the boys that this is a growing year. All we want to do is get better every game. We may not win a lot of games but we will compete. They may actually surprise some teams this year.
Come on out and support us this weekend at Twin Creeks. We will be playing in the “A thru Z” Baseball Tournament. Game times for the ASA Titans are 8:00 am and 10:05 am on field 9. See you on the field.
It was a long weekend for the Titans. They made it to the Regional’s for Palomino Pony and had their first game Friday night. They drew Los Gatosfor the first round which we knew would be a tough game. They lost a heart breaker. One of the Tiatns top pitchers, Frank Duncan threw gem. Held Los Gatos scoreless through 6 innings throwing a 1 hitter. But the game was far from over.
Titans scored one in the 2nd to take the lead. They held that lead through 6. Then in the top of the 7thFrank hit the first batter to put the leadoffhitter on first base. But that didn’t seem to bother Frank because he struck out the next hitter. With one out Los Gatos puts on the hit and run to get the tying run in scoring position.
The ground ball was put in place which the short stop bobbled the ball and couldn’t throw out the runner. That left runners on first and second with one out. Frank kept his composure and strike out the next hitter. With two outs the Titans could smell the win. Here they stood 1 – 0 with two outs in the top half of the 7th one out away and the number 9 hitter coming to the plate.
Then the nightmare began. Frank walks the number 9 hitter. With the Bases loaded the leadoff hitter comes to bat. Hits a slow roller to short stop. Travis charges for the ball as he caught himself trying to avoid the runner which delayed him to get to the ball to make a play. This ended up as a base hit to tie the game.
With the bases still loaded. The next hitter hits a blop fly ball into center that drops for another hit which puts Los Gatos in the lead 3 – 1. The rest is history. Los Gatoswalks away with the win and the Titans move to the loser’s bracket.
Knowing that the season was coming to an end the Titans didn’t want their journey to be over. They had worked to long and to hard to get to where they were at. ”don’t count us out yet” We are going to make a run at this.
Next gamewas against the Knights. They knew they had their work cut out. These two teams battle everytime they come face to face. And it was no different. Knights win the toss to get home field advantage.
Knights drew first blood in the bottom half of the first with one run. Titans rally in the second with five hits to score 3 runs. they add another in the third to make it 4 – 1. Knights battle back and score two in the fourth. It was a battle back and forth but the Titans held strong to win it 4 -3.
Titans started their crafty lefty Michael Chavez earns the win while their Closer Dario Bortlotto came in to shut the door to get the save.
Top players:(WP) Michael Chavez – 7 K’s, 5 hits (SV) Dario Bortlotto 2 K’s, 1 Hit (2B) Ausitn Ellis, Frank Duncan (2 hits) Austin Ellis, Joey Austin
Game 3 was against the Home town favorites Santa Cruz Seals. With Santa Cruz hosting the regionalswe knew that this would be another tough game with the Seal playing on their home turf. Kyle Clevenger gets the nod and start the game for the Titans. Santa Cruz hits first and score right away. They send 6 to the plate in the first inning, popped off three hits to score one run.
Titans came back in the bottom half of the inning with 2 runs of their to take the lead. Titans hold the Seals in the top half and adds another one in the second. Then fourth inning came around and Kyle Clevenger beans the first hitter and plucks the second one. Santa Cruz gets their first two hitters on base. The Seals execute the sac and moves the runners over. lead comes to the plate and get a base hit to tie the game.
Joe Gerber the Titans manager then makes the move to his bull pen and calls for Dario Bortlotto. He shuts down the Seals and Titans come back to score a few more to give Dario the win 7 – 4.
Top Players:(WP) Dario Bortlotto 3 Hits, 1 K (2 hits) Travis Bowers, Joey Austin, Kevin Wilson
Game 4 was time for revenge. Titans advance again but this time they had to face Los Gatos the same team that put them in the Losers bracket. Titans win the toss and get home team…the Hammer. Titans decide to throw another lefty Kevin Goulette. kevin has been on the IR but got cleared to play. The game started off 3 up and 3 down. Titans come to the plate get acouple knocks but cant score. Los Gatosthen scores int the second and hold the Titans. They score again in the fourth to make it 2 – 0. Titans still struggling to get the first run across. Kevin pitches his heart out and holds los Gatos to two. through six. Titans come to the plate in the 6th andknew they had to score otherwise they were going home. First hitter pops to second and then the next three hitters get on base. Titans came alive and scored 3 to win it 3 – 2 and sent Los Gatos home. Wow! ‘we’re headed to the championship game.
Top Players: (WP) Kevin Goulette 7 k’s 3 hits CG, (2B) Kevin Goulette, 2 hits – Kevin Goulette
Championship Game: Titans vs San Mateo
This game was a lot closer than the final score reads. San Mateo scores first in the 3rd inning. They hold the Titans for 5 straight innings. It’s 1 – 0 in the six inning. Jessie Lehrman comes to the plate andstarts the inning with a base hit. Next hitter strikes out and then Frank Duncan enters the box andropes another single. With 2 runners on the Titans start to believe. Next hitter lefty Joey Austin Hits a shot to the gap in center but the center filederruns it down. With two down Kevin Wilson steps up and hits a high pop fly to Short Stop, runners are going and he drops the ball. Two runs score and now the Titans take the lead. Unbelievable!
But San Mateo was not ready to concede they came to the plate and had some great at bats. the first three hitters got on base. They rallied for a couple hits and the rest is history. Titans loss in the championship but made a hell of a run. I think the Titans not only ran out of gas but they ran out of pithcing.
CONGRADULATIONS TITANS FOR A GREAT RUN AND A FANTASTIC SEASON!
Titan win another game at home in a close battle against the Rays 5 – 3. The Titans looked a little flat in their first game against the San Jose Rays. Yet they added another win to their record to 4 – 0. Kevin Goulette, the lefty from Mt.View took the hill and gave 4 good innings. He struck out 5 and only walk one. But the Rays rallied in the third when they were able to string a few hits together to put them within one run. Kevin kept his composure through four when Frank Duncan got the nod. Frank went two and the Titans closed with Kyle Clevenger who gets the save. So it was a team effort from the pitching staff
The titans struggled at the plate today but with a combination of a couple errors and some timely hitting they were able to put together a 4 run inning in the second. Which was the difference in the game. The Titans will need to step it up if they want to contend for a title.
Top players: (WP) Kevin Goulette 1- 0, (S) Kyle Clevenger, 2 hits – Frank Duncan
Web jams: Catcher Jessie Lehrman blocks a ball in the dirt and throws a runner out stealing third.
Titans extend their win streak to three as they beat the San Jose Pirates 13 – 1. Austin Ellis, the lead off hitter for the Titans started the game off win a bomb over the centerfield fence and got on base every time he came to the plate. He was 4 for 4 and scored all four times. Austin pretty much set the tone as the pirates were in for a long evening.
Dario Bartolotto the right hander for the Titans got the call and was able to keep the pirates contained long enough to earn himself a complete game. Dario found the strike zone early and stayed on track. Stroke out 4 and didn’t give up a walk. He only had to throw five innings before the Titans offense ran the score up to 13 – 1. Dario wins his first game of the season.
Austin Ellis lead the titans arsenal with 4 hits, 2 stolen bases and 4 runs. Kevin Goulette the big lefty joined in with a homerun that cleared the trees in right field. The Titans found themselves in double digits again in the hit column with 13. Lets hope they stay hot!
Titans head back home tomorrow night at Mt. View High School to take on the The San Jose Rays. First pitch will be at 5:30pm.
Top Players: (WP) Dario Bartolotto 1-0, HR’s – Austin Ellis, Kevin Goulette, 2B – Jessie Lehrman, Kevin Goulette, Kevin Wilson, 4 hits - Austin Ellis, 2 hits – Travis Bower, Jessie Lehrman, Kevin Goulette
Web Jams: Tayor Moran gun a runner out at third base. Frank Duncan lays out for a ball in the 6 hole. Travis Bowers robs a base hit in short left field.
Game 1: Titans offense explodes in first game to beat the West Coast Nationals 17 – 5.
Titans got off to a slow start when the faced the team from Salinas. The Nationals picked up two runs in the first with a base hit, a walk and then a triple. Titans didn’t get their first hit until the third inning when all hell broke loose. Taylor Moran started the inning off with a base hit, then Austin Ellis hits a bomb to left and ended up with a triple. Travis Bower singles to score Ellis, Jessie Lehrman doubles and Joey Austin drives in two more runs with a base hit that puts the score at 4 – 3 in the 3rd. Then the Titans ralley again in the fifth and get 4 more.
Then in the fifth something happened that I had never seen before in the game of baseball. This was a first. With two out the Nationals number 2 hitter gets on with a infield hit. He steals second base, the catcher over throw second base. The runner pops up and heads for third. Center fielder backs up the throw to second picks up the ball and throws a pee to third base to stop the runner from advancing. The runner slides head first into third base and the ball skips off his back into the third basemans glove and then is tagged out sliding to third. It was absolutely increditable. No body could believe just what happened. How does a runner get thrown out when the ball hits them in the back. Unbelievable. After that is was all down hill.
The right hander Kyle Clevenger start the game on the hill for All-Star Academy. Went 5 strong innings, gave up four runs with 3 Strike outs and walk 5. Kyles earns the Titans first win of the season. Jarrod Beiser gets the save.
Top players: (WP) Kyle Clevenger, (S) Jarrod Beiser 3B – Austin Ellis, Joey Austin, 2B – Travis Bowers (2), Jessie Lehrman, 3 Hits – Austin Ellis, Travis Bowers, Joey Austin, Taylor Moran. 6 RBI’s – Joey Austin, 2 SB’s Austin Ellis
Web Jams: Max Sheehan lays out for a ball hit up the middle. Taylor Moran runs down a bomb in left field.
Game 2: Titans sneak by West Coast Nationals in game 2 (1-0)
It was a pitching duel for sure in game two. Both pitchers did a great job keeping the hitters off balance. Frank Duncan the Titans ace gets the nob and goes 7 innings for a complete game and earn his first win of the titan 2010 season. Frank faces 24 batters, strikes out 8, gives up only 3 hits with no walks. This is exactly what the Titans we looking for out of their ace. Hopefully this is a good sign for things to come for the Titans and Frank Duncan.
On the other hand the Titans offense seem to get a little to complacent at the plate. They didn’t have the same approach as in the first game and counted on their pitching to carry them through. they had 5 k’s – 3 looking, and only 5 hits. Kevin Goulette from Mt. View hit a triple in the first to drive in the only run of the game. Thats all the Titans needed to pull this win off. And a great outting from their ace.
Titans play solid defense all day. Only made one error in 14 innings. It was a good day offensively and defensively. Next game is Monday.
Top players: WP – Frank Duncan (CG), 3B – Kevin Goulette, Frank Duncan, 2 hits – Travis Bowers
The All-Star Baseball Academy will be holding their annual 12u tournament team tryouts for their newest squad this year, The TITANS. They will be holding these tryouts on Sunday, June 13th from 5:00pm – 7:00pm at Earl Carmichael park. The home of the Santa Clara Homestead Little League. Location of the field is:
SC Homestead Major Field
3500 Benton Street
Santa Clara, Ca 95051
Players will be evaluated in throwing, running, fielding, hitting and pitching. Afterwards ,they will contact each player individually in regards to their status for the 12 man roster.
There will also be a 12U Advanced Boot Camp from June 21st – 25th. Contact the Academy for more info at www.asabaseball.com I strongly encourage each prospect to attend this camp. They use these camps as ”spring training” for all their club teams. It gets them prepared for the upcoming season. The majority of the players will be attending this boot camp.
You can go to the All-Star Academy web site to view the 2010 Club Team Packet. It has information on player/parent expectations, team fees, as well as forms that need to be filled out and turned in by the June 13th tryout.
I would highly recommend this team and their program to anyone that really is looking to get to the next level. The Academy has in my opinion the best instructors and coaches in the Bay Area. You can visit their web site to view coaches profiles and see how their teams did last year.
So if you know of any players that are interested in trying out for this team please send them to my web site www.bradyball.com or visit the All-Star academy web site www.asabaseball.com . Don’t miss out on this great opportunity.
Here is what John had to say about his team;
As the season approaches and spring practice continues, our sessions have become more rigorous and intense. We have just finished up a conditioning segment with Coach Yocke, and he has worked us all into good shape. We have also been playing intrasquad games to prepare for the season. I feel as though we are making strides in the right direction, to have another successful year.
The Alumni Game is nearly upon us, and though I have not had a chance to participate in this game, I can understand how special the event can be, to honor past Spartans, and also to get a preview for this year’s Spartans. I look forward to meeting many of the alumni this weekend, and listening to their experiences at San Jose State.
As for school, all of the players are beginning to get settled into classes this semester, and have been working diligently to get ahead in classes in preparation for the season. The team has been working hard, and will continue to work hard throughout the season. Leaders like Karson Klauer, Corey Valine, Danny Stienstra, Jason Martin, Breyon Canez, Ryan Vander Tuig and Luke Mazzanti, will help the young team continue to develop.
I would like to take an opportunity to thank my family and tell them I love them for supporting me throughout my career and entire life. The season is close and I hope to see everyone at the baseball field this spring.
Go Spartans!
