Action at Champs Arizona kicked off with 17U play across eight fields between Peoria and Surprise, Arizona. Day one of the tournament featured all 64 17U teams participating in pool play as they continue to settle in for baseball in the desert. With shutouts, walk-offs, blowouts, comebacks, and more, the opening day of the National Team Championships in Arizona did not disappoint in the slightest.
So without further ado, let’s go through all the highlights from day one of play. Click here to view scores from each and every game of the tournament.
Peoria, Arizona
Play in Peoria started off with a thriller between Nevada Prospects and Diablo Valley Oaks. Knotted at 4-4 heading into the seventh, Nevada Prospects plated two in the top of the frame just for the Diablo Valley Oaks to walk them off via a three-run performance in the bottom of the ninth. Third baseman Dylan Swanson and right fielder Tyler McDougal tallied three RBIs each in the walk-off win.
On the next field over, Storm Elite and Next Level Baseball were also locked in a heated contest. Storm Elite survived Next Level Baseball’s efforts to engineer a comeback win, stopping its opponents’ ninth-inning rally in its tracks for an 8-6 win.
CBA Victus San Diego beat Building Champions National 12-6 in an offensive onslaught. CBA boasted seven players with an RBI, while Shane Cannon recorded three RBIs on a bases-clearing triple.
The latter round in Peoria was highlighted by USA Prime Mountain West and Prime Navy’s showdown at Peoria Sports Complex’s stadium field. Prime Navy took a commanding 7-0 lead by the end of three innings only to give it away by the end of the bout. Mountain West plated three in the fifth and a whopping six runs in the sixth and final inning for an epic, come-from-behind win.
While Mountain West put on a show at the stadium, Gabriel Buranasi put on an equally impressive performance for CBA Bulldogs National. However, he did it all on his own. Buranasi tossed 6.1 scoreless innings while pitching a dominating nine punchouts in his team’s 3-0 shutout win over Wow Factor G’s Lions.
Quakes Baseball Academy and Trosky/Milwaukee Brewers Scout Team each scored nine runs in lopsided wins over their respective opponents. Quakes scored in every frame but one in their 9-1 win over Colorado Gold while Trosky/Milwaukee stormed past CCB Prime for a 9-3 victory after falling into an early 2-0 hole.
Remaining action from the final games of the day one in Peoria featured BPA beating Trosky National 7-3 after scoring six in the final two frames of its game while PFA California pulled away late from GBG Utah 2025 Navy in a close, 6-4 win. To finish it all off, CBA Summit knocked off GBG Navy 2025 in a loud 14-6 victory.
Surprise, Arizona
Over in Surprise, two different teams secured low-scoring shutout wins in the first round of pool play. Team Kado Hawaii’s Kaleb Wada — who tossed six K’s — and Tyson Uyehara threw a combined shutout in their team’s 1-0 victory over Playa Vista Orioles-US National. Meanwhile, Prime Red shutout the Scottsdale Dirtbags 2-0 with Gavin Egan and Reagan Ricken combining for their impressive defensive outing.
MVP Hustle pulled off a thrilling comeback victory in the early hours of the tournament. After quickly falling behind 5-0 to TB Socal, MVP Hustle responded with a two-inning, 5-run rally of its own, eventually downing its opponents 8-7 in six frames.
While his game ended in a 6-6 tie, Stacked California’s Tate Morris flamed seven strikeouts against CBA Maurcci American, the second most of any pitcher on day one from across the tournament. Behind him, a wealth of other arms threw six punchouts across the two sites.
To finish off the early slate of games in Surprise, fans saw multiple lopsided final results as Top Tier Dudes 2025, So Cal Birds Orange, and South Texas Sliders blew out their respective opponents. Top Tier Dudes scored 11 runs in just four frames in their victory over Matadors 2025 while So Cal Birds Orange beat Team Cal Payne 8-1 after a strong final few innings and the South Texas Sliders beat Canes Inland Empire 9-1.
The high-scoring affair between Legacy Baseball Group 17u Elite and Zoots Baseball Club-Black put an exclamation point on the afternoon’s slate of baseball at Surprise. While Zoots plated two runs in each of the final four innings, Legacy Baseball Group scored four in the fifth and a whopping nine runs in the top of the sixth and final frame to take down its opposition.
Team Kado Hawaii White and Alpha Power ‘25 also had a competitive and explosive match in the late slate. Alpha Power lived up to its name and powered past Hawaii with an eight-run second inning to win 9-6.
Like Alpha Power, City Showcase won 9-6. Despite its opponents’ second baseman Lincoln Oelschlager’s perfect day at the plate, City Showcase put up a critical three, game-winning runs in the top of the seventh to beat ZT Renegades. However, Oelschlager’s 4-for-4 day was only surpassed by his tournament-leading four RBIs.
