Deerfield 12U Red Travel Baseball Teams Historic Run at Cooperstown!

For Deerfield 12U travel baseball teams, the annual Cooperstown trip presents an opportunity to compete against premier hand-selected all-star teams from all over the country in the birthplace of baseball.  Unfortunately for the Warriors, it also usually means an early exit from the famed tournament.  However, for this year’s 12U Red team, the Cooperstown tournament provided an opportunity to put Deerfield baseball on the map.

Facing larger programs with bigger players throughout the week-long tournament, the gritty Warriors relied on the size of their hearts to achieve a milestone in Deerfield baseball history becoming the first 12U team to reach the Elite 8.  With an overall record of 5-4, including victories over teams from Georgia, Virginia, New Jersey and Indiana, Deerfield recorded a number of wins unmatched by any previous Deerfield team. 

The Warriors started nervously on the tournament’s first day dropping their opener to P-Town, NJ 2-0.  Recalling the game, Deerfield manager Mark Januszewski commented “P-Town celebrated like they had won the World Series.  We wanted to have another shot at them.”  After a loss in their second game to eventual runner-up Jacksonville Juice, the Warriors found themselves winless after day 1. 

The boys rebounded with a strong day 2 showing beating the Indiana Indians 3-1 in the morning game with solid defense and a home run by catcher Lucas Danielewicz backing six innings of one run baseball by Deerfield pitchers.  With a win under their belts, Lucas Platt pitched a complete game gem as the Warriors hammered the Georgia Warriors 10-1 in the afternoon affair behind the hitting of Matthias Strotman.  The third day of competition saw Deerfield split its pair of games losing to the Wheatland Ducks 5-3 in the morning game despite Danielewicz’s second homerun of the tournament, but beating the Fauquier, VA Gators by the same 5-3 score later that day, highlighted by a homerun by centerfielder Noah Prebish. Despite three losses in pool play, Deerfield earned the 12th overall playoff seed by virtue of strength of schedule.

The first playoff game in the now single-elimination tournament pitted the Warriors against familiar local foe NSBA Hawks.  In a tense affair, Deerfield starter Drew Grossman nearly went the distance allowing only 3 runs over 5-1/3 innings of work.  Charlie Simon relieved Grossman and recorded the final two outs stranding runners at second and third to preserve the Deerfield victory.  A throw out by catcher Jake Reicin of an attempted steal of third proved pivotal in holding off the Hawks.  A playoff victory now under their belts, the Warriors were a loose group heading to their evening affair – the rematch against 5th seeded P-Town, NJ.  With a berth in the Elite 8 on the line, the determined Warriors quickly let P-Town know that things would be different this time.  

The Warriors immediately broke the seal in the opening frame when Prebish singled to start the game.  Shortstop Justin Marshall, gamely battling the effects of a midweek virus, followed with a single of his own.  After a Deerfield ground out, clean-up hitter Jacob Radis singled to load the bases.  Following a hard line out by Simon, Grossman stroked a single, plating Prebish with the first run of the game.  Simon worked a quick 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the first before the Warriors broke it open in the top half of the second.  Second baseman Jacob Strimling started the inning with a single and was advanced to second by a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt by Shael Plofsky.  Reicin coaxed a walk from the now rattled P-Town pitcher and with a passed ball moving Strimling to third, Jake Gold’s smash to second earned him the game’s second RBI.  Walks by Platt and Prebish loaded the bases for Marshall who delivered with a two-run double.  Danielewicz, continuing his torrid pace, followed with his own two-run double to end the scoring with Deerfield in front 6-0.  The Warriors led 7-0 after three thanks to an RBI by Strimling in the third.  The Warriors blew the game open in the fourth as Gold, Platt, Prebish, Danielewicz, Simon and Grossman sandwiched hits around an RBI sac fly from Radis.  With P-Town reeling, Strotman was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Strimling’s second hit of the day plated two more Warriors.  With Deerfield leading 14-0, P-Town mustered a meaningless solo home run in the fourth inning before the Warriors ended it in dramatic fashion turning a Gold to Marshall to Plofsky double play to cap the slaughter rule victory and earn Deerfield its first ever trip to the Elite 8. Manager Januszewski said “Every kid stepped up and played for each other.  I could not have been happier with their effort against P-Town. I loved watching the kids run out to center field to high five the dads who were all watching from the center field stands.”

Unfortunately, the Warriors’ run came to an end the next morning when they dropped their quarterfinal game to eventual tournament champion, Ft. Caroline Florida.  Despite the loss, the Warriors represented Deerfield proudly. “We talked all week of playing good baseball and having fun. They needed to believe in what their talents and hard work could do. The kids were great and to do what these kids did was amazing” said Januszewski.  Putting the trip into perspective, Deerfield’s only losses during the tournament were to the number 2, 3, 4 and 5 playoff seeds – proving that this Warriors team belonged among the very best at the tournament and the very best in Deerfield history.

The 12U Red Warriors’ roster includes Lucas Danielewicz, Jake Gold, Drew Grossman, Justin Marshall, Lucas Platt, Shael Plofsky, Noah Prebish, Jacob Radis, Jake Reicin, Charlie Simon, Jacob Strimling, and Matthias Strotman.  The Warriors are coached by manager Mark Januszewski and coaches Eli Berlin, Mike Danielewicz and Luke Strotman.