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12U Macomb Mudhens Print E-mail

- By Ernie Rapiere

As the 2009 season is passing its midpoint, TravelBallSelect continues its reviews of the top teams across the USA who are challenging for championships within their regions. One team that clearly is a strong contender in every event they play is the Mudhens from Macomb, Michigan.  This team finished the 2008 season with a 3rd place finish at the 11U USSSA Elite 24.

With 12 returning players, including TBS All America Nick Plummer leading the way.  On offense, they are a top to bottom challenge to opposing pitchers because they have 11 solid hitters that have proven that they can hit consistently. The Mudhens pitching is lead by Alex Malzone, a 5’10”, 160 lbs hard throwing right hander with a tremendous amount of power.  This 12 year old also has quick enough feet to play either SS or 3rd base. Kyle Randick is another 5'10 150 lbs hard throwing right hander who is also a power hitter having hit 3 balls 320 ft plus over center field fence.  In addition, Pete Zeimis and Alex Roed are solid on both sides of the game.  Roed is batting over .600 thus far this year with only 1 strikeout. Pete Zeimis is an outstanding utility player who can not only pitch, but can also play any position including SS, Catcher, 2b,3b, and also outfield.  He is also batting over 0.500 for Mudhens this year.

2009-mudhen-players.jpg

Thus far this season, the Mudhens have been playing excellent baseball.  Their goal is to compete for the Elite 24 Title again this year.   Their play has them moving steadily on a path for returning to the 2009 12U Elite 24 as a solid contender.  Despite a season that has been filled with tournament rainouts, the Mudhens have achieved a 20-4 record that features wins over solid opponents that includes two TBS ranked (or Honorable Mention) teams.

The Mudhens opened their 2009 12U season with four straight dominating wins as they won the Genessee Fieldhouse Championship while giving up only 5 runs in 4 games.  The Mudhens followed these wins by with an excellent showing as they came in 2nd while playing up in the 13U bracket of the Great Lakes Shootout.  In this event, they won 4 games while allowing an average of only 2 runs per game, before losing a close game in the finals. The Mudhens continued to play dominate baseball in their next outing at the 12U Cinco De Mayo held in Canton, Ohio during April 24th.  In this event, they outscored their 4 opponents 54-10 while heading toward what looked like a championship showdown performance before this event was rained out.From there, the Mudhens followed with another excellent performance in the Tennessee Super NIT.  In this event, the Mudhens played solid baseball against solid teams, beating the Ohio Diamondhawks (the 2008 Majors World Series Winners) 10-5, the Alabama Naturals (2009 TBS Honorable Mention) by a score of 12-1, and the the Tennessee Longhorns 9-0, before losing to the Georgia Yard Dogs 2-1 on a slippery, rain drenched field.  Overall, the Mudhens scored 34 runs and gave up only 8 run in these 4 games - pretty impressive considering that the Mudhens did this without the services of one of their ace pitchers.Next up, the Mudhens are gearing up for the second half and final stretch of the 2009 season.

They are scheduled to compete in the following events:

1.  FOUNDERS PARK ,FARMINGTON HILLS 13U- MAY 9-10
2.  BATTLE OF THE BORDERS 12U- TOLEDO,OHIO-FIELD TBA-May16th/17th
3.  LIBERTY PARK 12U SUPER NIT- MAY 22-24
4.  MICHIGAN MAJOR 12U, YPSLANTI- JUNE 5-7
5.  CINCY FLAME CLASSIC 12U,CINCINATTI OHIO-JUNE12-14
6.  LIBERTY PARK, STATE TOURNAMENT 12U- JUNE 19-21
7.  SYLVANIA OHIO- JULY 4TH WEEKEND
8.  12U WORLD SERIES DISNEYWORLD- JULY 11-19
9.  COOPERSTOWN DREAMSPARK- AUGUST 22ND
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 03 June 2009 09:27
 

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