Eau Claire A’s 15U Blue battle at Babe Ruth World Series

Ohio Valley Regional Champions, Eau Claire A’s 15U Blue team, traveled to Branson, Missouri to compete in the 10-day Babe Ruth League World Series tournament.

The 15U Blue team opened play on August 10 and played one game each day, finishing with a 1-4 tournament record after losing to Korea 16U and Puerto Rico 16U — two teams that advanced all the way to the semifinals.

Eau Claire’s Matt Palecek, Alex Johnson, and Will Thatcher led the A’s offense in the World Series. Thatcher batted .429 in the tournament and Johnson .333. Palecek hit one double on his way to a .357 tournament batting average. Gavin Dean hit 3 doubles and James Radabaugh had two. Myles Hite and Nolan Menard each hit a triple in the tournament.

Dean, Brady Johnson, James Radabaugh, and Alex Johnson did the brunt of the work on the mound for the A’s. Eau Claire pitchers struck out 24 batters in all. Radabaugh and Alex Johnson completed the tournament with a 1.4 and 1.615 ERA respectively.

This year’s World Series tournament is the first time in a new format which extended the age range for competitors to 16 years old (previous cut off was 15 years old) and drew more teams from around the world. Twenty teams from around North America and such far off places such as Columbia, Taiwan, Nigeria, Korea, and Australia came to Branson for the tournament.

Local athletes named MVP of Wisconsin State GamesTwo area athletes were selected MVP of the recent Wisconsin State Games.

Tavian Shramek of Blair Taylor was named Most Valuable Pitcher. According to Prep Baseball Report who hosted the event, Shramek “dominated his outing, touching 88mph with the fastball while retiring nine batters in a row.” Shramek struck out five in three innings of work. He is a senior at Blair Taylor High School and an uncommitted college baseball prospect.

Jack Gorman of the Eau Claire A’s 17U Blue team was selected MVP. Gorman “made headlines with a pair of home runs and a double in live action, completing a successful two-day showing” said PBR. Gorman ran a 6.94 in the 60-yrd dash. He is a senior at Eau Claire North High School and also an uncommitted college baseball prospect.

The Wisconsin State Games is an invite only event meant to bring together the top high school baseball prospects in the state and allow them to showcase their skills. Prep Baseball Report hosted the event at The Rock Sports Complex in Franklin, Wisconsin.