Brian Lewis/The Gazette
Alex Lipman of Quince Orchard High School was one of eight Montgomery County rising seniors invited to play for the South team in last week’s MSABC Junior Classic at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie.
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Rising Montgomery County baseball seniors get a chance at Futures game
Eight players compete in all-star game before college coaches
Eight Montgomery County rising seniors know getting to play in an all-star baseball game is special, but the reward last week at the Maryland State Association of Baseball Coaches’ Junior Classic, held at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie, was the folks in the stands: College coaches.
“It was cool,” said Quince Orchard High catcher Billy Plante, who was one of the eight playing on the South team. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I did the same thing at Maryland when we tried out for Team Maryland so it’s pretty cool to play in front of all of the coaches like that.”
Plante and Cougar teammate Alex Lipman, Paint Branch brothers Jeremy and Nick Ponafala, Springbrook’s Marino Betances, Gaithersburg’s Stephen Lee, Magruder’s Andrew Daskalakis and Georgetown Prep’s Luke Olson were among 90 rising seniors at the Junior Classic, who were hoping to earn a spot on the Maryland Futures squad. The game was scheduled for June 28 but was delayed a day due to rain.
“There are a lot of coaches here,” Daskalakis said. “It was kind of a little bit of pressure at first until we got into it. I’m trying to hit line drives, make all my plays and throw as hard as I can to first.”
In fact, there were nearly 20 coaches in attendance, including Maryland coach Erik Bakich and Towson coach Mike Gottlieb, as well as numerous high school coaches, some of whom will help select the Maryland Futures squad later this summer.
The 18-20 nominees the final tally depends on room available at the tournaments are scheduled to represent the state of Maryland at a regional qualifying tournament in New Jersey this September for the right to play in the October Perfect Game World Wood Bat Championship in Jupiter, Fla.
“It’s a great honor for the kids,” said DeMatha coach Sean O’Connor, the event coordinator. “Maryland is not at the level of a Texas or a California so we can’t expect to receive an invitation so we have to earn ourselves a possibility.
“It gives the kids the opportunity to play as a state team and take that team hopefully to the bigger tournament in Florida and it helps in the recruiting process. Hopefully, we can go up there win some ball games and represent our state very well.”
The Maryland Futures Team is in its third year of existence. Two years ago, its squad, consisting of 2010 graduates Tommy Cunningham (Blake), Nick Karis (Northwest), Chris Rados (Northwest) and Nick Riley (Gaithersburg), participated in the inaugural Midwest Classic Baseball Tournament and won all five of its games against other states. Last summer, 2011 Rockville graduate Chris Brown was selected to the team, which did not did not participate because of numerous player conflicts and financial concerns.
“This year, the idea was really to help the kids get seen before the July 1 deadline [when college recruiters can’t communicate with recruits] and have colleges come out and it helps evaluate for the Futures process in an event that was [just for] all rising seniors,” O’Connor said.
Nick Ponafala added: “It was pretty nice, pretty interesting. I was a little nervous but I got comfortable real quick. I really didn’t’ feel any pressure. I just tried to go out and think of it as a normal high school game. It’s nice to be one of nine Montgomery County kids to be selected [to the Junior Classic] so I’m honored.”
Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s Nico Narel-Aguilar was also selected to play but he was already scheduled for an event in California.
The players who did make it acquitted themselves nicely before the rain and lightning engulfed the stadium. Lee, a left-handed pitcher, worked a scoreless second inning on the mound. Daskalakis had a sacrifice fly, Nick Ponafala scored on an infield single, Plante drove in a run on a bases-loaded walk and Olson scored on an error in the South team’s five-run third inning.
The South went on to defeat the East by a 16-8 score June 29. The North squad upended the West team by a 9-2 count earlier that day.
“It would be really cool [to play for the Futures team] because they’re going to be playing in some good tournaments and I feel there would be a lot of coaches there,” Plante said.
jpeters@gazette.net
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