Last year’s dominant 12u team was the Scottsdale Dirtbags.  The Dirtbags ended USSSA play with a record of 37-7 vs. the division while posting an overall mark of 44-8! The Dirtbags finished the season with a power rating of 1222 which was good enough to be ranked #17 in the Nation!  The Dirtbags were led by Coach Bryan Rice who I believe in steeping down to stay with his boy who was an 11year old playing up.  The Dirtbags won the first 7 USSSA tournaments and then compiled another two victories to close out the year including the Arizona State Championship!  Congrats to the Dirtbags on a season for the record books!

“Majors Division”

Predator USA:

The Predators are led by Coach Marc Hauver.  Last year’s squad finished the season with a mark of 15-17 in the division while going 35-23 overall.  The Predators were one of those teams that could beat ANYONE on any given day but then also lose to ANYONE at the same time.  I watched them beat some very good teams last year including the Storm, Gators, AZ Drillers, Stealth 11’s and 12’s as well as the Sonoran Black Sox!  They also had losses to three different AAA teams throughout the season.  I look for this team to continue to improve in an organization that is known for producing great teams. 

Stetson Hills Stealth:

The Stealth who is led by Coach Zeke Bishop is another team that did the Jekyll and Hyde thing throughout the year.  After dominating the “AAA” division for the majority of the season including a 7-0 mark in the Super NIT Winter Nationals tournament to win the Title!  The Stealth outscored their opponents 75-7 in that event and knew it was time to move up.  Once they moved up they competed each and every week posting a 16-16 mark against the Majors division.  They had big wins throughout the season and look to build on that going into the 13U season. 

Venom Baseball Club:

The Venom is stepping up from the “AAA” division where they played last season.  The Venom finished their 12u campaign with a mark of 40-17 in the division and 53-21 overall!  A very impressive feat was getting seven USSSA championships on the year including the Arizona State
Championship at the “AAA” level. 

Storm Baseball:
The Storm is coached by long time baseball guy Kent Decker.  Last year’s squad under the direction of Coach Decker improved each week and in the end were one of the team in the mix week in and week out.  Posting a record of 18-22 does not indicate how good this team was.  With wins over team like the LP Tigers and Louie Sluggers this team showed that they can play with anyone.  I look for this team at the 13u level to make some key pickups and compete at or near the top each and every weekend. 

Louie Sluggers Red:

The Sluggers under the direction of Coach Lou Frazier finished the season on a huge high note when they went to compete in the Triple Crown World Series in Park City, UT.  As most of you know the Sluggers finished that event with a very impressive 3^rd place finish while beating some of the best teams in the country.  This team ended the season with five tournament titles.  Their record in the division was just 15-16 but they were 13-0 against the “AAA” teams.  Their signature win on the season was an 11-6 victory over the Dirtbags!  Look for Coach Lou to continue to build a dynasty in the East valley. 

Litchfield Park Tigers:

The LP Tigers as they are commonly referred to might just be the second best team in the state.  They finished the season with a mark of 26-10 including 15-9 in the division.  The Tigers are led by Kelly Thomas.  At Winter Nationals they finished second to the Dirtbags losing in the finals 3-2.  The Tigers won 3 events on the year in limited USSSA play.  The Tigers will be back with a vengeance this year and look to unseat the Dirtbags by seasons end.

AZ Blaze Red:

The Az Blaze was another that that competed each week for a title.  They finished the season with a mark of 19-15 while finishing 12-3 in the division.  The Blaze played up in the 13U division most of the year but they played their own age they were dominant.  They won the Easter Classic by beating the Storm, Drillers, Black Sox, and then the Dirtbags.  Other accomplishments on the year include two second place finished in USSSA play.  Huge kudos to the Blaze for challenging their boys all season, my guess is that with that experience they may just be the team to beat this season!

Arizona Drillers:

The Drillers are led by Coach Tony Burgarello.  Last year’s squad finished the season with a 16-16 mark overall.  While playing against the division they finished with a record of 11-13.  The Drillers were competitive all year and I look for them to continue to improve under the guidance of Coach Tony.  The Drillers won two USSSA Championships on the season and I am sure they look to better that this season. 

Goodyear Gators:

Led by Coach Joe Martinez, the Gators finished the season with a mark of 27-27 overall while going 14-26 in the division.  The Gators played a lot last year and had some quality wins along the way.  The finished the year with one USSSA Championship but also had five runner up finishes.  The Gators will look to figure out a way to get over the hump and push through to win more events this season. 

“AAA” Division

Aces Beisbol:

The Aces finished the 2011 season with mark of 11-6 overall and 8-0 in the division.  Their best tournament of the season was Winter Nationals where they finished second to a red hot Stealth team losing in the finals 6-1.  The Aces are led by Manager Juan Garcia.  This team has talent up and down the lineup and my guess is by Christmas they have moved to the “Majors” division.  They will be a dominant team at this level and need to move up as their 8-0 record last season indicates.

AZ Attack: 

The Attack is led by Coach James Morris.  Last year’s squad played at both the “AA” and “AAA” level where they compiled a record of 39-34 including 20-3 against “AA” opponents.  The Attack did not win a title last season in USSSA play but they did finish a very impressive second five times.  I know they went through some roster changes but Coach James knows what he is doing and will keep this team improving.

AZ Broncos:

The Broncos are led by Coach Michael Yancey and finished the 2011 season with a mark of 23-26 while finishing 16-20 in the division. The Broncos finished second one time while placing third three times.  The Broncos are based in the Phoenix area and will look to continue to improve this season.

AZ Extreme: 

The Extreme hail from Gilbert and are led by Manager John Hilland.  The Extreme competed all year finishing with an overall mark of 44-39.  After beating up on “AA” opponents with a mark of 21-6 the Extreme moved up and finished 19-25 in the division.  One tournament title at the MLK Classic is all they could muster but it was dominant as they went 6-0 while outscoring their opponents 54-20 in the process!

Chandler Bulldogs:

The Bulldogs were one of the better teams in the division last year as they posted a mark of 53-35 while finishing 41-25 in the division!  With four tournament titles in 2011 the Bulldogs from Chandler look to improve again this year.  Do not be surprised if this team moves up by Christmas.

Octane Baseball Club:
The Octane is led by Coach Greg and this team is talented. Finishing the season at 25-22 overall while going 18-10 in the division.  The Octane had some quality wins over “Major” opponents like the Drillers and the Stealth.  They ended the season by winning their first and last tournaments of the 2011 season. Four quality wins against majors opponents tells me that this team may be ready for the jump sooner than later.  Look for them to dominate the division early and then make the jump.

Heavy Hitters Baseball Academy:

This team from the West Valley surprised some people last season.  They were a relatively unknown organization at the start of the season and now they are a possible powerhouse in Sun City.  A 26-27 mark on the season including three tournament titles and a record of 18-16 in the division tells me that they can play.  They may be just a player or two away from the next level. This is a team to watch out for. 

Red Mountain Finest:

The Finest were once again a team to beat in the “AAA” division.  They won the last four tournaments of their season and two more prior to that.  I for one would really like to see Coach Alfred move this team up, I think they are ready.  Although they did struggle against the Majors opponents they did post a 5-0 mark at the 13U “AA” level.  Move em up Coach!

Muddogs:

The Muddogs from Chandler are another team that looks like they may be ready to take their team to the next level. They finished the season with a 25-26 mark and 14-18 in the division.  Three second place finished though show that this team can compete.  If they can improve their pitching you could see their record follow. 

AZ T-Rex Baseball Club:

This team from Scottsdale finished the 2011 season with a power rating of 1255 which was #1 in the state and # 14 in the Nation.  This club from Scottsdale finished the year with five USSSA Titles including the last three of their season.  They are riding a wave right now and I look for this team to continue it into 2012.  They finished the year with a record of 31-6 while going 26-5 in the division.  If they keep dominating at this level then they need to move up. 

“AA” Division

Ahwatukee Devils:

The Devils finished the season with a mark of 7-41 while finishing 7-12 in the division.  The Devils are led by Scott Wesley and look to continue to get better. 

AZ Hurricanes:

The Hurricanes from Gilbert were one of the dominant teams in the division last season.  A 17-9 record inside the division along with a tournament title to go along with it made for a successful 2011 campaign. They did struggle at the next level but the Hurricanes will be a force again in their division. 

Inside Pitch Elite:

The Inside Pitch team continues to improve as last year’s squad finished with a record I the division of 10-10.  Three second place finishes along the way made the boys from the Deer Valley area smile.