Baseball Program From Loganville Sends Seven Players to National Trials

According to a press release from Georgia Select, seven of their baseball players were chosen to take part in the national trials in Cary, NC this weekend. Nearly 300 baseball teams from all across the country competed for this honor during the 2013 USA Baseball National Team Championships. The 14U National Team Championships East was held June 18-23, 2013, in Palm Beach County, Fla., where Georgia Select competed among 24 teams, while its 15U team faced 36 teams in Fort Myers, Fla.

Of more than 2,400 participants in the national team championships in the East and West divisions, USA Baseball announced four Georgia Select players of the 40 players named to its 15U National Team Trials roster this year. Trials will run July 13-19 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., with the final 20-man roster being named at the conclusion of the event. The final 15U National Team will play in the International Championship COPABE Pan American Championships in Barranquilla, Colombia, July 26-Aug. 4.

Two Georgia Select players were chosen for the trials and two are alternates.

15U National Team Trials

Morgan Copeland, C, Loganville, Ga.

Garrett Gooden, RHP, Decatur, Ga.

Alternates

Akil Baddoo, OF, Conyers, Ga.

Josh Sims, OF, Covington, Ga.

Scott Ward, founder and general manager of the Loganville based program said Georgia Select prides itself on the extensive training it offers its players. 

“We provide our players competition, development and exposure. Development is the backbone of our organization. We train to compete against the best, and then we place our teams in the events that provide exposure. And those who are capable of playing at the next level benefit from our approach,” Ward said.

USA Baseball has also announced three Georgia Select players on its 40-man roster for the 14U National Team Development Programs:

Tristan Capocci, IF, Villa Rica, Ga.

Austin Holloway, C, Covington, Ga.

Sean Mootrey, RHP/IF, Atlanta, Ga.

These players will participate in skill-development sessions and various off-field educational components, including guest speakers, instructors and intrasquad Red vs. Blue games. The week-long programs kick off at the USA Baseball National Training Complex on Aug. 6-10. Two players from the 2013 14U NTDP will be invited to attend the 2014 15U National Team Trials.

Copeland, Sims and Holloway have been training with Georgia Select since they were 9 years old. 

“These young men have been training hard for several years and are now coming into their own. They are the type of athletes we’ll watch on TV one day,” Ward said. 

Morgan made the 14U National Team Development Programs roster last year before securing a spot on this year’s 15U trail roster.

USA Baseball is the National Governing Body (NGB) for amateur baseball. It represents baseball in the United States as a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and internationally as a member federation of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF).

To get more information, contact scott@georgiaselect.com or call 404-457-7887.

(This is a press release from Georgia Select)