Last summer at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, Canes National stood alone at the conclusion of the 15U National Team Championships.
Scoring 39 runs in six games while allowing just six, they left no doubt in last year’s run. In Monday’s opener against Top Tier Select, it appeared Canes had picked up right where it left off at the National Training Complex last summer.
The offense was on full display, leading to an 11-5 win that was powered by eight runs in the final two innings. Conor Rae and Caleb Hudson flashed at the plate, with both hitters going 3-for-3 and combining for six runs. Rae drove home a pair of RBIs, while Griffin McKain raked a pair of hits himself for three RBIs in the effort.
“Just getting hits, we were putting the bat on the ball and it was a big thing,” Rae said when asked about the approach in the opener. “You have to make other teams work harder than you, and just stand back on pitching. We were seeing the fastball and hitting it.”
But it was a different story in Canes National’s second game of the day, a tough 7-4 loss to the East Coast Sox. Rolling into the sixth and final inning carrying a 4-2 lead, the reigning champs were stunned by five runs from the Sox. They’ve been in this scenario before, though.
Last summer, Canes National rolled to a 15-0 combined margin of victory in its opening two games before dropping a 4-1 contest to the Padres Scout Team. Undeterred, Canes edged out MBA Scout Team 5-4 before dominating in the semifinal and final matchups with a combined 18-3 margin of victory.
Now after flashing what the team can be and taking a hard loss right after on Monday, the cycle may be repeating for Canes National a year later.
“Every good team loses. I think we will bounce back like we normally do,” Hudson said afterwards. Rae agreed with that sentiment, pointing to something deeper than just performance on the field.
“I think we're a special group. We're more of a family than most teams, and I think we bond better. We keep each other up when times get hard and tend to bounce back. And I don't feel like this loss will stop us. If we can get in the gold medal game, then I think we'll take it all the way.”
The road to following in the footsteps of last years’ Canes begins at the plate, a task made a bit easier with some of the bats in the lineup. Rae and Hudson both collected hits in the second game against the East Coast Sox, and will look to carry their hitting streaks over to Tuesday. McKain showcased his bat in the opener, and Carson Bruce led the team with a pair of hits in the second game.
“I just think we're expanding our bats a little bit more. We kind of let up after the second inning of that second game and I feel like if we just keep putting the pressure on teams, then I think we're the best team in the country,” Rae said, adding that “I don't think anyone's gonna stop us with that.”
Hudson was in full agreement with his teammate, speaking for both the team and himself.
“That's right. You can't think about your approach too much in the box; see the ball, hit the ball. That's really what’s been working for me. We need to keep having quality at-bats. It will be a team effort for us to keep going.”
Canes National will have the chance to show once again that a loss is a chance to improve on Tuesday, July 9th. The squad is back in action for its third game against ZT National Prospects at 10:45, seeking to clinch a postseason berth.
“We have to pick it up to move on, just keep rolling,” Rae said. There’s a reason for his and Hudson’s optimism after the loss.
“This was the first game we lost as a team in two weeks, so if we keep hitting the ball like we have been the last two weeks, then I feel like no one will be able to stop us.”
The chance to prove that begins on Tuesday.