ALL STAR BASEBALL ACADEMY TEAM OF THE WEEK: West Chester's 14U Team

This week’s Team of the Week award goes to the 14U team from our West Chester Facility. They went 2-1 at Diamond Nation for the weekend of 11th and 12th. Their wins came against the Diamond Nation 14U team and the Diamond Nation Super 13’s, with the lone loss against the eventual tournament winners Wall Baseball. They are coached by Creighton Gubanich.

Tyler Kight picked up the complete game win against Diamond Nation’s 14U squad, as the ASBA 14U team won 5-1. He allowed just 5 hits and one earned run to earn the win, his first of the year. In a 12-10 slug fest against the Diamond Nation Super 13’s, Vincent Drake got the win, throwing 4 solid innings. Daniel Schupper was able to close it out, picking up his first save of the year for the 14U team.

Despite a 13-5 loss to Wall Baseball, who went on to win the tournament, Gubanich was pleased with his team’s effort.

“We lost to the team who won it all, but the score of that game was not really indicative of the way we played. This weekend was our first time playing together as a team, and I think we really started to gel as a team in this game. For our first tournament together, I would say that we came out a little slow, but it was a good learning experience, and I think we’re set to have a great season.”

Offensively, Korey Leidheiser, Matt Harrison, and Gabe Hofferman were standouts, as they combined to go 12 for 22. Leidheiser hit .571 for the weekend, while Harrison was 5 for 9 with 5 RBI’s. Hofferman contributed with 3 hits and 3 walks, as well as scoring 3 of the teams 22 runs. As a team, they hit .313 and had a slugging percentage of .413.

The 14U team is off until July 16th and 17th. They play at Ripken Baseball in Aberdeen, Maryland.

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ALL STAR BASEBALL ACADEMY PLAYER OF THE WEEK: James Bunn

James Bunn, a centerfielder from Princeton, New Jersey, has been named All Star Baseall Academy's Player of the Week for the week of June 11th. Bunn, a Rising Senior, is a speedy centerfielder for ASBA Warminster's 17U Showcase Team and for Pennington Prep (NJ).

For the weekend of June 11th and 12th, James was 10 for 16, including a home run to center field in a showcase tournament at the University of Pitt. James is coached by John Bellis, who was very pleased with his performance for the weekend, as well as for the season.

"The best part about James is his combination of raw talent and knowledge of the game, more specifically his knowledge of mechanics. He has a very easy swing, it's very smooth and quick. He covers a lot of ground in center field, and his speed is a large part of his game," Bellis says.

When asked about his experience with the 17U Showcase Team, James has enjoyed it and expects it to only get better.

"I really like the team I'm playing for, it's been a great experience for me. We haven't had a ton of success so far, but I know we're going to win a lot of games this summer, and we're going to have fun doing it."

His parents have also been impressed with the program, as his mother emphasized.

"We're very impressed with the quality of the teams they've played, as well as the level of play of the team. We're also impressed with the knowledge of the college recruiting process that the coaches possess. We've learned a lot about the process from ASBA, and the kids that James is playing with have been great as well."

As of June 14th, James was also named the Prep Player of the Year for the state of New Jersey by The Trentonian, as well as being named to the all-area first team. He is currently talking to Bucknell, Lafayette, and Stony Brook to continue his playing career at the collegiate level. The 17U Showcase Team plays again Friday at Diamond Nation in Flemington, NJ. at 1:15 P.M.

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