As summer competition heats up, the All American Prospects keep rising to the occasion. The Prospects’ 16U and Premiere teams have won two major national tournaments in as many weeks.

The Prospects are a Tampa-based organization that aims to gain exposure for its players to as many college coaches and Major League Baseball organizations as possible by competing in national tournaments. Team One/Baseball Factory sponsors the All American Prospects.

The 16U All-American Prospects defeated the Tampa Bay Raiders 11-7 on July 1 to capture the 2006 Junior Olympic East Division title at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. The championship game was the finale of the 72-team National Junior Olympic Tournament. The Prospects compiled an 8-2 record en route to winning the championship title.

The 16U team was lead by stellar performances by several players. Ray Delphey (OF/RHP, Alonso HS) played particularly well in the 9-day tournament including going 2-4 with a 3-run home run and pitching four solid innings during the championship game. Delphey along with teammates Michael Givens (SS, Plant HS) and Ryan Weber (RHP, Clearwater Central) were selected to the National Junior Olympic trials, which is an audition for the national team. Catchers Stefano Lazzara (Tampa Jesuit), Greg Dupell (Tampa Jesuit) and OF/RHP Kyle Allen (Tampa Jesuit) also provided the Prospects with strong performances.

The Premiere team also recently captured a major national title when they defeated the Dirtbags on July 9 to win the World Wood Bat National Championship title for the second year in a row.

The Prospects’ deep pitching staff, which notched five shutout performances in 10 games, lead to team to a 9-0-1 record. Ryan Weber followed up his stellar National Junior Olympic Tournament performance by pitching six strong innings allowing only 3 hits in the championship game. Rolando Gomez (3B, Pembroke Pines) who was named Most Valuable Player of the event after going 9-for-23 with 6 RBI and six stolen bases in the tournament, supplied some of the offensive power in the championship game by going 2-for-4.

LHP’s Hector Varas (Miami Brito HS) and Chris Hernandez (Miami Pace HS) provided strong outings from the mound while Joey Hage (CF, Stoneman Douglas HS), Anthony Boza (1B, Braddock Senior HS), Danny Rams (C/1B, Miami Gulliver Prep) and Derek Sejnoha (RHP/3B, Palm Beach Gardens HS) provided the offensive power throughout the week-long tournament.

Bill Lockwood, coach of the Prospects, credits his players’ passion for baseball for the organization’s success.  His players have “hearts of lions and they love to play the game the way it is supposed to be played,” Lockwood says. It is this dedication, he feels, that has allowed his players to have so much individual and team success.

“We are very proud of what the Prospects have accomplished on the field,” says Steve Sclafani, founder and CEO of Baseball Factory, which sponsors the team. Sclafani adds, “We look forward to seeing some of the All American Prospects at our Team One South Showcase as well as The Baseball Express Cape Cod Classic in Wareham, MA.”

For more information on the All America Prospects, visit their website at www.allamericanprospects.com.