Trosky/Milwaukee Brewers Scout Team has been the most dominant team at the 17U National Team Championships in Arizona all tournament long. With a staggering run differential and plenty of extra-base hits to boot, Trosky bashed and bruised its way to a gold medal game appearance.

And the team didn’t change a single thing in the championship bout.

Trosky used a bases-clearing triple and two-run homer in the fifth inning to blow by the EJ Sports Warriors, claiming a loud 8-1 victory to win it all at the 2024 17U Champs Arizona.

Paired with its stingy pitching, Trosky’s ruthless offense took advantage of opportunities to don gold around their necks and red, white, and blue USA Baseball caps on their heads.

“It's awesome to be able to win,” said head coach Abe Ruiz. “And obviously this event, with USA baseball and the red, white, and blue, being able to represent it at this type of event for our guys is awesome. Nothing better than getting to put on those USA hats at the end of the big win.”

That big win didn’t start out in ideal fashion for Ruiz’s squad. However, after surrendering a run in the first, Trosky’s pitching staff came around and didn’t allow a run for the rest of the game.

Trosky/Milwaukee’s offense came out slow as well, but it took advantage of key mistakes from the Warriors, including a dropped flyout and passed ball that earned it a 3-1 lead. However, the Brewers Scout Team’s high-flying offense finally took off in the fifth and never came back to earth.

“A little slow start today, but I think when we come around, that confidence is contagious,” Ruiz said. “So for our guys, our pitching staff, it was great to have them throw up zero after zero after they scored one early.”

After a double and pair of free passes, second baseman Linkin Garcia launched a bases-clearing triple that careened off the wall in left field. Now out to a 6-1 lead, Trosky kept its foot on the gas. Third baseman Ian Draper smashed a two-run homer that all but sealed Trosky’s gold medals.

All tournament long, Ruiz has preached Trosky’s strategy of ‘one pitch at a time,’ and that’s exactly how Draper took his at-bat. After chasing on his first pitch, Draper took his time, waited for his pitch, and didn’t hold back once he got it.

“I kind of chased that first pitch,” Draper said. “And then I was like, ‘Alright, I just got to kind of stay within myself.’ And Abe told me, a couple minutes before, to find something up, see something up in the zone. So I got a curveball up and put a good swing on it.”

After pitcher Quinten Marsh finished his three scoreless frames on the mound and officially iced the win, Trosky had won it all, finishing the tournament at an undefeated 8-0 with a whopping plus-49 run differential.

“Our offense has just been rolling,” Draper said. “I mean we’ve got so many barrels. I feel like the first couple innings of every game we would have five or six hits [or more]. And it’s been great. I feel like playing with these guys, it’s just real fun and watching them succeed is great.”

While its offense has been great, Trosky’s pitching and defense — a specific emphasis for Ruiz and his team — performed just as well, only allowing 15 runs throughout the competition.

“Pitching and defense, that's where it starts for every team at every level,” Ruiz said.
“So it’s a huge emphasis for us on just making sure our guys understand where it starts. It starts on the mound, defensively, making all the plays and just limiting those freebies. I was really proud of the mound all week — all week we were really good on the mound, played really good defense. So, yeah, super proud of the guys.”

At the end of it all, EJ Sports Warriors was awarded silver medals while Trosky/Milwaukee Brewers Scout Team earned the right to wear gold. Draper, who joined the team this summer, got to celebrate their names being etched in the USA Baseball record books with the win and prolific performance throughout the tourney.

“It's amazing,” Draper said. “And this is a team I've just started playing for this summer. So with this new group of guys, it's just been so fun, this tournament was really fun. Just to get to wear the gold medal and represent the USA, it’s great.”