ALL STAR BASEBALL ACADEMY’S 11TH ANNUAL “TOP 100” SHOWCASE EVENT BIG HIT WITH PLAYERS, SCOUTS, COACHES

All Star Baseball Academy hosted its 11th annual “Top 100” Mid-Atlantic Showcase event on June 23-24 and it proved to be a home run for the players, college coaches, and pro scouts who attended.  The event was held at Villanova University’s baseball complex, with a total of 81 coaches and pro scouts watching and evaluating many of the top prospects in the entire country.

“The Showcase was a big hit and continues to get more visibility each year we run it,” said Steve Van Note, Director of Special Events for All Star Baseball Academy.  “We had players this year from many different states, even as far away as California.  If you are a top prospect, it doesn’t get any better than this in terms of the opportunity to showcase your talent.”

“Our Top 100 players this year came from all over the Mid-Atlantic region, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland and Virginia,” added Mike Manning, organizer of the event.  “The quality of the players participating is outstanding and we continue to draw more and more scouts and coaches to the event.”

Local prospects from the Philadelphia area, including Chris O’Brien and Drew Hayes of Malvern Prep, Jeff Boorman of Downingtown East, Nick Pancerella of Devon Prep, and Scott Williams of Conestoga got the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a large gathering of college coaches and also pro scouts.  Players are timed in the 60 yard dash, show off their fielding and arm strength skills, and also demonstrate their hitting strokes in the cage and in live games.  The event was a comprehensive, 2-day showcase so every player got their turn in the spotlight in front of the coaches and scouts.

“All eyes are on you when you are throwing, and then when you are pitching and hitting,” said Van Note.  “This opportunity to showcase yourself in front of so many coaches and scouts is second to none.

“Our Top 100 Showcase event gives each of these players maximum visibility and exposure for those who plan to play baseball in college and even in the pros someday.”

After the hitting, pitching and throwing drills were completed during Day 1, the Top 100 players were divided up into four teams to compete in live games.  The radar guns on the sidelines stayed active as the impressive pitchers in attendance showed off their arms.

“The talent we had this year was excellent,” smiled Van Note, who played for the University of Delaware and starred in the Atlantic League with the Lancaster Barnstormers.  “The talent level seems to get higher each year, and the visibility to the college coaches and pro scouts keeps growing too.”

Major college coaches came from hundreds of miles away to attend the Top 100 Showcase, as colleges from Florida, West Virginia, New England, Ohio, Kentucky and the Carolinas were all represented.

“We’ve been running this Top 100 event since 2000 and it has gotten bigger and better,” said Manning.  “But we pride ourselves in keeping this to exactly the Top 100 players.  We’re happy with how it went this year and look forward to more great years in the future.”