Cary, N.C. - It’s been two very different games for the 14U Southeast Stars to begin the 2024 National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup, but the team has achieved the same result in both; a win. The Southeast Stars are 2-0 after the first two days of play at the USA Baseball National Training Complex, and gunning for a berth in Sunday’s gold medal game with a win on Saturday.
On Thursday, the Stars found themselves in an early 2-0 hole against the South Stripes after allowing two runs in the fourth inning. But trailing proved to be enough motivation to spark the offense after three scoreless innings, which tied the game in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a big RBI triple from Maddox Porter. An RBI single in the following inning put the Southeast Stars ahead 3-2, and they were able to hold out over the final two innings for a tight opening victory.
On Friday morning, the Stars once again found themselves trailing 2-0 as the Northeast Stripes jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning. Unlike Thursday’s game, though, the Southeast Stars’ offense didn’t take three innings to start plating runs. And they would plate a lot more than three in Friday’s matchup.
Cameron Small sparked the bats for the Southeast Stars with an RBI single, and a series of walks and wild pitches allowed the Stars to build a 5-2 lead in response. Brooks Bateman piled on with a two-RBI triple lasered into right, and Riley D’Angelo capped off an 11-run explosion in the bottom of the first with an inside-the-park grand slam into deep right that ended the frame. That lead would hold the rest of the game, as the Southeast Stars tacked on five more in an eventual 16-8 victory.
For Porter and D’Angelo, who have swatted big-time hits to spark the Southeast Stars’ victories, this is their second time playing in the NTIS Champions Cup. They are just two of hundreds of players seeking to be invited to USA Baseball national team and development programming, such as the 13U/14U Athlete Development Program (ADP), which offers a path to competing for spots on future U.S. national teams.
Hitting like they have so far is one way to do that, and helping to continue the Stars’ 2-0 start all the way to the gold medal on Sunday would also go a long way. After Friday’s win, the pair spoke about their respective NTIS Champions Cup experiences this year and what could make this team the potential favorite this week in the 14U division.
For both players, they mentioned how they were starting to become adjusted to the BBCOR bats. Porter highlighted how he was starting to get used to the power, while D’Angelo admitted that the entire 14U experience from the bats to the new coaches was one that he was still getting used to.
But having a new team has been exciting, evidenced by Porter’s answer when asked what makes this time special and has allowed them to start 2-0.
“I like the energy of our team, coming out here and having energy, talking with the pitcher, we've been pitching really good this week. We had a few walks. But in the first game we came out pitching strong, and it’s continued.”
D’Angelo agreed, highlighting how the offense had improved and the defense had been strong through both games. Asked if there was any change between Thursday’s game and Friday’s offensive eruption, Porter had a simple answer.
“I guess it was just a different feel, today we came out swinging,” he noted.
For both players, it has felt great overall to have the chance to come out to another NTIS Champions Cup and get to both compete and showcase their talents. But they’re up against 11 other teams full of players who are here to do the exact same thing, and winning the gold won’t be easy. When asked what would put the Southeast Stars over the top, both Porter and D’Angelo highlighted the team’s defense.
“Just come out and talk. Don't be quiet, and just come out with defense. Our pitchers get to throw strikes because the defense is going to back it up, and we’ll come out with our bats,” Porter said.
“Yeah, same with what Maddox said,” D’Angelo agreed with a grin. “Good pitching and offense to back it up.”
The Southwest Stripes await its matchup on Saturday, with first pitch set for 10:45 a.m. A third win for the Southeast Stars likely earns them a chance at the gold - and the bats of Porter, D’Angelo, Bateman, and more might be what gets them there.
