Heading into the quarterfinals of the 14U National Team Championships North Carolina on Saturday, four squads are undefeated heading into postseason play on Sunday, June 30th. UDACF Evolution stands atop the pack at 3-0-0, while both Team Elite National and USA Prime National sit at 2-0-1 after holding each other to a 9-9 stalemate on Friday morning. And then there is the Texas Twelve Red Sox, sitting at 1-0-2.

Currently sitting fourth in the overall standings despite just one win on paper, Texas Twelve has potential to be a major wildcard in the playoffs at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary. The reason? A dominant pitching staff, lights-out defense, and an offense that appears to have found its footing in the third and final game of pool play.

However, it was a frustrating opening two games for the Red Sox on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Thursday’s matchup with Canes National finished deadlocked at 1-1 after seven innings due to the 135-minute time limit. A first-inning sacrifice fly had given Texas Twelve the lead, only for the offense to be held the rest of the way.

The 3-3 tie against the South Charlotte Panthers Marucci on Friday morning was more painful. Taking a 3-1 lead at the top of the seventh inning, Texas Twelve looked like it was well on its way to a 1-0-1 record. Instead, a pair of RBI singles from the Panthers in the bottom of the seventh held the squad to its second straight tie to open pool play.

Sitting 10th in the standings with an 0-0-2 record, the Red Sox were in a precarious position heading into the third and final game of pool play. It didn’t help that the team’s final regular season opponent, the Midlands Redskins, were entering the game 2-0 and had allowed just a single run in both of the opening two games.

The situation didn’t look promising when Midlands took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. But the winds of fortune began blowing Texas Twelve’s way at last in the second inning, starting with the squad loading the bases in the bottom of the second inning and capitalizing with a pair of bases-loaded walks to take a 2-1 lead.

Texas Twelve broke the game open in the following inning, led by an RBI double raked into left by Anthony Frausto III. Two more bases-loaded walks and a pair of defensive errors allowed four more runs to score, with the Red Sox now suddenly leading 7-1. Four innings later and the result held, earning head coach Trevor Cote and company a playoff berth.

“You know, the message was actually the same. We've played really well this weekend, we’ve just been on the wrong side of the scoreboard with the first two ties,” Cote said after the win. “Obviously, all three teams we’ve played this week have been quality opponents. We faced good pitching, and our guys threw really well on the mound. We just left some opportunities in those first two games, and then we capitalized. We had one big inning, and one big inning was enough.”

One big inning was a bit of an understatement. The Red Sox scored more runs in the third inning against Midland than they had in the team’s opening two games combined, a sign that Cote’s lineup is beginning to wake up and find its form right in time for the postseason.

“In these tournaments against good people, you're always going to face good, quality arms. Your at-bats over the week start to pile up, and you start to see a little bit better focus,” the Texas Twelve skipper noted. “I thought we ran a good offense today, but really, it took one swing from our left fielder, Nolan Rush, to open things up. Then it seemed that guys began to relax a little bit and we were able to add on.”

While an awakened offense is a big boost for Texas Twelve’s title hopes, what makes this team a serious threat is the pitching staff and defense behind them. The rotation for Texas Twelve has been the best of any team in Cary this week, and the defense as a whole has allowed just five runs in three games - ranking No. 1 in the field.

Keagan Fosdick went all seven innings in the win over Midland, rising to meet the occasion as the game went on. After allowing two hits and the opening run in the first inning, Fosdick allowed just two more over the next six while issuing just a single walk. He finished with four strikeouts, dominating down the stretch to ensure the win. Cote had high praise for him after the game.

“Fosdick is a guy that we just feel really comfortable with. He does a good job of commanding the strike zone on multiple pitches. He's phenomenal with traffic on the bases, and he's just a really good baseball player. So he puts your defense at ease, and he's a very competitive kid.”

Despite Fosdick being the only Texas Twelve starter this week to pick up a win so far, the team’s other arms have been just as good - if not better. Carlos Trevino was electric in the opener against Canes National, fanning eight batters in 5.1 innings of work while allowing a single hit and no earned runs before his relief. Brandon Pace Jr. recorded nine punchouts against the South Charlotte Panthers in 6.1 innings, giving up four hits and a pair of runs. Relievers Lukas Metzen and Ryan Davidson have combined for 2.1 innings, allowing three hits in that span.

“Trevino was a real ace in game one against the Canes with power stuff. And then Pace was just as good. I don't know that our plan coming in was to extend those guys,” Cote admitted. “But in all three cases, those guys didn't want to give the ball up and our backs were against the wall. We needed to win, so we decided to roll with all three of them, and they gave us our best chances to win.”

Cote also had high praise for the way his defense has supported the staff on the mound. While the pitching for Texas Twelve has been outstanding, shipping just three runs in five games is a task that requires every fielder to be at the top of their game. For Texas Twelve so far, they have been.

“We've played catch really well between pitcher and catcher, and then defensively we're really solid up the middle with Tristin Gaines and Kyle Behan patrolling in the middle,” Cote explained. “The complimentary guys have been really good at minimizing damage when we've had traffic, and we've made good plays.”

If the pitching can be anywhere close to as good as it’s been, and the defense remains resilient, Texas Twelve will be in every game they play during the rest of the tournament. If the offense has found its footing and the seven runs against Midland is a sign of things to come, this No. 4 seed has a very real chance of competing in the gold medal game. While the Red Sox enter the postseason with just one win, don’t let them fool you.

“Our message this week was to play our game, and we wanted to play together as a group,” Cote said. “After three games, we’ve played together, haven't gotten down on each other. We've played in some tight games, played against good people, and they're having fun, they love the atmosphere. We're just trying to take advantage of the opportunity that we have in front of us.”

The chance to do just that truly begins Sunday, June 30th.