Last weekend’s Baseball Factory Showcase high school baseball tournament at Arundel High School and Joe Cannon Stadium in Harmans was such a success that they group likely will be back for an encore in 2003.

“It went really well, and there is a very good chance we will do it again next year,” said Jeff Brazier, the Baseball Factory’s recruiting director. “The teams have asked us if we are going to do it again, and it’s a pretty good shot we will. The caliber of teams was outstanding.”

Formed in 1004, Baseball Factory specializes in college placement of players.

“We consider ourselves the leader in college placement for baseball players,” Brazier said. “We work hard at getting the kids exposure.”

Thursday before the tournament, voluntary workouts were held at Arundel in front of pro and college scouts, and the Baseball Factory even videotaped the players individually.

That evening the Factory held a free banquet for the players and coaches of all eight teams. Factory CEW Steve Sclafani and Kelly Kulina, a program director, conducted a college recruiting seminar afterward.

“The seminar was terrific because it reinforced a lot of the things a lot of us [coaches] tell our players, but they got to hear it from somebody else,” said Arundel coach Bernie Walter.

“It was terrific tournament, the best ever put together on the East Coast. It was the type of thing that happens every year in California, Arizona, and Florida, and we did it right here in Anne Arundel County.”

Mount St. Joseph coach Dave Norton, whose No. 1 Gaels (7-3) were one of three teams in the tournament, has taken teams to California for similar tournaments. “I though it was great competition and it was, in fact, as good as what we saw when we went out to California two years ago,” he said.

Shenendehowa of New York was the champion among eight teams from five states, defeating the No. 2 Old Mill (6-2) in the final, 8-1.

Top-ranked but NO. 4 Arundel (6-2) was the third local team in the tournament. Each of the eight teams played three games on a brutally cold weekend.

“Except for the weather, it went great,” said Brazier, who joined the Howard County-based Baseball Factory last year after interning in the Baltimore Orioles’ scouting department.

It wasn’t baseball weather, but the quality of the teams saved the weekend by not succumbing to the cold.

“We come down here to play each spring to get away from this kind of weather,” said Jim Carrese, Shenedehowa’s coach.

While the attendance was good, the fans didn’t get to truly appreciate the talent because their cold often broke their concentration. Better weather likely would have drawn more fans.