Trevor Abbott has accomplished a lot on the baseball diamond at just 15 years of age.

He’s been a part of the Lower Sussex Little League teams that won state titles at the Major and Junior league levels, a key component of Selbyville Middle School’s undefeated teams in back-to-back seasons, a part-time starter for the first Indian River High baseball team to win a Henlopen Conference title this past spring and the Rookie of the Year for Post 28’s American Legion baseball squad for his contributions on the mound and in the outfield over the summer.

Now, he has been selected out of thousands of players to participate for the Maryland-based Baseball Factory National Team this fall in Arizona.

“Truthfully, I didn’t think I’d make the cut,” Abbott said. “It’s one of the most prestigious tournaments for baseball players my age.”

Hundreds of players from up and down the East Coast, including Abbott, turned out for Baseball Factory’s scouting evaluations at University of Maryland-Baltimore County in July, along with other sites nationwide, hoping to get instruction on how to improve their game and to find out where they stand among other young prospects.

There, each player was given instruction and an evaluation from pro scouts. Abbott’s happened to be better than most.

“Trevor is very coachable, he’s got a loose arm and has the aptitude,” said Dan Forester, a Regional Development Coordinator for Delaware and other East Coast states for Baseball Factory.

“He does some good things with his bat, but pitching is really where we like him.”

Forester said the left-handed Abbott, a sophomore at Indian River this fall, had three pitches rate above-average for his peer group that also includes high school juniors and seniors.

“His fastball has good movement, a good downward plane and tailing action,” Forester explained. “His curveball has good depth — it breaks closer to the batter — and a sharp break and he’s got a good feel for his change-up. The mechanics of Trevor’s change-up are very much the same as his fastball.

“He has three quality pitches which is pretty exceptional for his age.”

From Oct. 19-23, at the Arizona Sophomore/Junior Classic in Peoria — spring training home to Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners — Abbott will play alongside many of the best young prospects in the country and be coached by professional ball players and scouts.

Baseball Factory will field two teams of 18 players at the tournament with each playing at least four games. Abbott said the tournament, “will help me reach my highest potential and receive national recognition to help me play college baseball. It will be a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Of course, an opportunity such as this doesn’t come cheap. Abbott must raise $2,800 to cover the cost of transportation, lodging, food, training, coaching, uniforms, insurance and other expenses. He’s hoping to receive some help from friends, family and the community in the form of donations.

Checks can be made out to: Trevor Abbott Baseball Fund, P.O. Box 764, Ocean View, DE 19970

“It is a very difficult tournament to reach,” echoes Forester. “He came, at the nomination of his high school coach (Howard Smack), to get a pro scout evaluation and he was one of just a small percentage of thousands of kid good enough to play at this level tournament.”

Founded in 1994, the company works with over 4,000 athletes each year in skill development and college placement, Forester said, adding the aim of the organization is to give players fair evaluations of their talent and what they need to improve to achieve their athletic goals.

For more information, visit the Web site www.BaseballFactory.com.

Reach S. Wayne Carter Jr. at (302) 537-1881, ext. 105, or by e-mail at [email protected].
Originally published Wednesday, August 24, 2005