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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/16/2024

EBC Is Last Team Standing at 16u WWBA

Hannah Jo Groves     
Photo: EBC 16u Wright (Perfect Game)
EBC 16U Wright used their team chemistry and defensive power to win 4-3 against the Dirtbags 2026 National in the WWBA 16U National Championship.

With two talented teams in the final match-up, it came down to more than what was being done on the field. EBC has been playing together for the last 3 years - and they have the chemistry to show it.



"Most of our guys have played against one another since they were 13 years old - some even longer than that,” Coach Jeff Wright said.

EBC was undefeated coming into the championship match - and their fifth win, they had started to believe that this tournament was theirs to take. But after a couple defensive miscues led to 2 runs in the first inning of the final, Wright went to his left-handed pitcher, Ashton Spurr, and gave him a succinct message:

“‘Hey, buddy, I need you. I need you badly.’”

And Spurr stepped up to the plate - or in this case, the mound, for his team in the clutch. Through 6.1 innings, Spurr threw 73 pitches, allowed 2 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk and struck out 6. His fastball topped out at 83 mph and his slider stayed in the low-70s range.

Also impressive was Spurr’s catcher, Carter Winders. Both teams were tired after a long tournament - but Winders had even more reason to be depleted going into this last matchup.

"He caught 11 straight games in that heat,” Wright said of his catcher. And I don’t think he had a passed ball. He caught five games in two days. But he never came off, never complained. He was a warrior 100 percent.”

With their ideal pitcher-catcher duo at work, tournament MVP Cole Prosek got the first hit for his team in the top of the second. The shortstop doubled one out to left field and would later come in as his team’s first run off a single from Harrison Pollina. Prosek also went on to get a sacrifice fly to center for another run in the top of the third.

Beyond the championship game, Prosek put in strong effort throughout the whole tournament to get his team to the final. He racked up 13 RBI and 3 homers during the week.

But even with this offensive power from EBC, the Dirtbags gave them a defensive fight. Right-hander Palmer Hornick came in relief and threw 51 pitches through 4 innings. He allowed 3 walks, 1 hit, 0 runs and struck out 2. Hornick’s arsenal included a mid-80s fastball, mid-70s curveball and a mid-70s slider.

"The pitching was excellent,” Wright said. "The Dirtbags are a great team. They’re a first class organization and they were a pleasure to play against.”

Though the Dirtbags were able to put one more run up in the bottom of the fifth, EBC held them to only 3 runs for the next 2 innings, securing the WWBA title.

To Coach Wright, it all came down to the attitude of his star-studded team throughout the week.

"We had nobody sulking. We had nobody down. We didn’t have anybody that was selfish. They were all pulling for each other.”
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