12u End of Season Rankings Recap 2017-2018

The race for #1 was a tight contest all season between Legends Baseball and Minion. Both teams proved to be two of the best teams in the entire Southeastern United States, and it was a tough decision to try and separate these two. In the end, we settled on Legends Baseball at #1. 6 new teams finished in our top 20 from our end-of-fall rankings to our final rankings, and there was significant shuffling throughout the top 20 in the spring. Here's a recap of how we decided on our final rankings.

  1. Legends Baseball

    Legends Baseball entered the spring season #3 in our top 20 after going 22-3 this past fall. This spring, they are an incredible 49-6 (currently still playing Cooperstown, NY) and sit at 71-9 overall. Their fall season included a win over #4 Park Sharon Nationals, two wins over #5 Carolina Rockies, a win over #12 Carolina Thunder, and a win over #14 Rock Solid Red. Their 3 losses were by a total of 4 runs and came in a 1-run loss against Minion, a two-run loss to Dirty South Bats Venom (VA), one of the best teams in Virginia, and another 1-run loss against the Carolina Titans Blue. This spring they've been simply outstanding, scoring 25 wins over top 20 teams including a win over #3 East Rowan, 5 wins over #5 Carolina Rockies, a win over #6 Majestic Greensboro, 3 wins over #9 Canes Baseball NC - Harland, two wins over #10 Sanford Cobras, a win over #11 Five Star Carolina - Smith, two wins over #12 Carolina Thunder, two wins over #13 NCDB Rivercats, a win over #14 Rock Solid Red, a win over #15 West Raleigh Blue, 4 wins over #16 Carolina Titans - Wilson, and two wins over #18 Sandhills Heat. This upcoming year they are joining the Canes Baseball organization which should only make them a stronger team in the Southeast.

  2. Minion

    As good as #1 Legends Baseball has been this past year, it is debatable they are the top 12u team in North Carolina. Minion entered the spring ranked #2 in our final fall rankings after going 30-4 this past fall. They finished 46-10-2 this spring, and 76-14-2 overall to post one of the most outstanding records of any team, in any age group in North Carolina. In the fall, they knocked off #1 Legends Baseball in a tight, 9-8 win. They also notched two wins over #4 Park Sharon Nationals, two wins over #8 SBA Canes - Mendez, and a win over #13 Five Star Carolina LKN. In the spring, they continued their dominate play, qualifying for the Wilson Demarini USSSA Elite World Series, and notching a win over #3 East Rowan, two more wins over #4 Park Sharon Nationals, two wins over #5 Carolina Rockies, two wins over #8 SBA Canes - Mendez, two wins over #13 Five Star Carolina LKN, and a win over 11u #1 SBA Canes - Ross. Similar to the Legends, Minion will be joining up with the Dirtbags organization this fall which should only enhance the rivalry between these two teams.

  3. East Rowan

    East Rowan finished the fall season #1 in our 12u rankings after a tournament win at the 12u D1 Top Gun Winter World Series saw them defeat #2 Minion and the Dirty South Bats Venom (VA), who had defeated #1 Legends Baseball. East Rowan finished the fall 20-2 including two wins over #5 Carolina Rockies, 3 wins over #7 Five Star Carolina - Shelton, a win over #8 SBA Canes - Mendez, and a win over #17 Sandhills Heat. They started out the spring a bit slow for their own standard, going 11-5 in their first four tournaments. However, they finished the spring 24-2 to finished 35-7 this spring, and 55-9 overall. Along the way this spring, they won the 12u D1 Top Gun Summer World Series title, and scored a win over #5 Carolina Rockies, a win over #6 Majestic Greensboro, a win over #13 Five Star Carolina LKN, a win over #16 West Raleigh Blue, and a win over #17 Sandhills Heat.

  4. Park Sharon Nationals

    The Park Sharon Nationals entered the spring #4 in our final fall rankings after going 17-5 in the fall. They posted a 33-9-1 record this spring to finish an impressive 50-14-1 overall. In the fall they posted a win over #5 Carolina Rockies and two wins over #13 Five Star Carolina LKN to solidify their top 5 status. They notched a runner-up finish in Cooperstown, NY as well as a win over #2 Minion and two wins over #7 Five Star Carolina - Shelton. Similar to their 9u counterparts as well as #2 Minion, the Nationals will be joining up with the Dirtbags organization this fall.

 

 

  1. Carolina Rockies

    The Carolina Rockies changed their affiliation from WM9 to the Rockies organization over the winter this past year. They posted an impressive 23-13 record in the fall season that included a win over #3 East Rowan, two wins over #7 Five Star Carolina - Shelton, two wins over #6 Majestic Greensboro, two wins over #11 Five Star Carolina - Smith, and a win over #14 Rock Solid Red, and finished #15 in our fall rankings. Throughout the spring they posted impressive win after impressive win on their way to a 27-13-2 record (50-26-2 overall) and the #5 spot in our final 12u rankings. In the spring season, they notched a win over #1 Legends Baseball, a win over #2 Minion, three wins over #8 SBA Canes - Mendez, a win over #10 Sanford Cobras, a win over #11 Five Star Carolina - Smith, a win over #13 NCDB Rivercats, and 3 wins over #15 West Raleigh Blue.

  2. Majestic Greensboro

    Majestic Greensboro finished and outstanding 47-11-1 overall, including a record of 31-8 this spring. In the fall, they scored two wins over #5 Carolina Rockies, two wins over #11 Five Star Carolina - Smith, a win over #12 Carolina Thunder, and a win over #13 Carolina Rattlers to finish at #9 in our final fall rankings. This spring they notched a win over #2 Minion, a win over #11 Five Star Carolina - Smith, two wins over #17 Sandhills Heat, and two wins over #19 Venom Stars. Majestic is another team who will be joining the Dirtbags organization this fall in a move that should strengthen both the organization and the team.

  3. Five Star Carolina - Shelton

    Five Star Carolina - Shelton finished the fall #5 in our rankings after a 14-3 record that included a win over #5 Carolina Rockies, with all three of their losses coming against #3 East Rowan. All they did not play as much as some of the other teams above them, they finished with a record of 34-6 across USSSA and Top Gun play, including a record of 20-3 this spring. Along the way they scored two wins over #3 East Rowan, and a win over #11 Five Star Carolina - Smith.

  4. SBA Canes - Mendez

    It is a bit difficult to figure out which 12u SBA team is which as there is some roster overlap between teams. We decided their USSSA majors would be the team we would focus on for our rankings. This past year, Canes - Mendez posted a record of 35-16, including a record of 15-6 in USSSA play, after a 20-10 record in the fall had them at #18 in our end-of-fall rankings. In the fall season, the Canes notched wins over #3 East Rowan as well as #5 Carolina Rockies. This spring season, they scored a win over #2 Minion, a win over #9 Canes Baseball NC - Harland, a win over #11 Five Star Carolina - Smith, and a win over #13 Five Star Carolina LKN to prove they are among the best 12u teams in the state of North Carolina.

 

 

  1. Canes Baseball NC - Harland

    Canes Baseball NC - Harland are one of the more interesting stories in the 12u age group. They entered the 12u year as one of the top 11u teams in the state of North Carolina, but they did not play a single game in the Fall of 2017. Their spring got off to a slow start going 4-6 in their first 10 games and they were not in our top 20 for much of the spring. They were able to rebound, however, and go 26-9 over their next 30 games to finish at 30-15 overall in the spring. Along the way, they scored a win over #1 Legends, a win over #10 Sanford Cobras, 3 wins over #12 Carolina Thunder, and a win over #17 Sandhills Heat.

  2. Sanford Cobras

    The Sanford Cobras certainly earned their spot in our top 20 after playing one of the most competitive schedules in the state this year. They finished the fall ranked #14 after posting a 20-9 record including three wins over #14 Rock Solid Red and win over #15 West Raleigh Blue. This spring, they went 18-11 to finished 38-20 overall. In the spring season, they notched a win over #5 Carolina Rockies, 3 wins over #9 Canes Baseball NC - Harland, a win over #12 Carolina Thunder, a win over #13 NCDB Rivercats, a win over #14 Rock Solid Red, and a win over #17 Sandhills Heat.

  3. Five Star Carolina - Smith

    Five Star Carolina - Smith entered our spring season unranked after posting a 13-10 record in the fall season. They posted a much improved record in the spring, going 26-12, to finish at 39-22 overall. In the spring season, they also posted a win over #4 Park Sharon Nationals and two wins over #6 Majestic Greensboro to solidify their spot among our top 15 teams.

  4. Carolina Thunder

    The Carolina Thunder posted an impressive 29-16 record across AAU, Top Gun, and USSSA this past year. In the fall they posted 6 wins over top 20 teams including a win over #10 Sanford Cobras, two wins over #13 NCDB Rivercats, a win over #14 Rock Solid Red, a win over #15 West Raleigh Blue, and a win over #16 Carolina Titans - Wilson. In the spring season, they posted 5 more wins over top 20 teams including a win over #10 Sanford Cobras, another win over the Rivercats, a win over #16 Carolina Titans - Wilson, and two wins over #17 Sandhills Heat.

 

 

  1. NCDB Rivercats

    The 12u Rivercats came into the spring unranked after a 10-8 fall campaign. This spring, they posted a record of 21-18, however 8 of their losses this spring and 9 overall came against 13u competition. The spring season was highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Triple Crown Summer Nationals. Along the way, they scored a win over #9 Canes Baseball NC - Harland, two wins against #10 Sanford Cobras, two wins against #14 Rock Solid Red, a win over #15 West Raleigh Blue, and 3 wins over #17 Sandhills Heat.

  2. Rock Solid Red

    Rock Solid Red posted a 26-19-1 record overall, including a 14-8 record this spring. In the fall season, they scored three wins over #12 Carolina Thunder and a win over West Raleigh Blue. This spring, they added a few more top 20 wins to their resume with another win over the Thunder and a win over #9 Canes Baseball NC - Harland.

  3. West Raleigh Blue

    West Raleigh is a difficult team to rank accurately as they don't begin their travel ball play until after their recreation season ends. Although the put up only an 8-5 record in travel ball play, they posted some impressive wins including a runner-up finish in the Top Gun Summer World Series. They also recently won the Southeast region in the Major70 division and will be competing for at the Cal Ripken World Series in August. As we've mentioned before, it's very difficult to know how to weigh those results in rankings such as these, however we felt they deserved some recognition. In the Summer World Series, West Raleigh notched wins over #1 Legends Baseball, #13 NCDB Rivercats, and #17 Sandhills Heat. They also scored a win over #6 Majestic Greensboro this spring, which when combined with their All-Stars run, gave them enough resume builders to be included in our top 20.

  4. Carolina Titans - Wilson

    The Titans played primarily in Top Gun this past year where they posted a combined 28-20 record. In the fall they scored 4 wins over top 20 teams including two wins over #13 NCDB Rivercats, and two wins over #15 West Raleigh Blue. In the spring they notched another two wins against top 20 teams when they defeated #9 Canes Baseball NC - Harland and #10 Sanford Cobras.

 

 

  1. Sandhills Heat

    The Sandhills Heat ended the fall as our #10 ranked team after posting a 16-2 record including a win over #20 Carolina Rattlers. This spring they notched a record of 15-15 across Top Gun and AAU play, and dropped a bit in our rankings accordingly. They did, however, score a win over #3 East Rowan, a win over #13 NCDB Rivercats, and a win over #20 Carolina Rattlers this spring.

  2. Venom Stars

    The Venom Stars posted a record of 31-11-1 across AAY, Top Gun, and USSSA over the past year. Although their record was excellent, they did not face nearly the same level of competition as some of the teams ranked above them. In the end, they scored just one win against a top 20 team with a win over #11 Five Star Carolina - Smith. Nevertheless, we felt they deserved some recognition for their impressive record and felt they fit right in among the top 20 12u teams in North Carolina teams this past year.

  3. Five Star Carolina LKN

    Five Star Carolina LKN posted an 18-8 record this spring after going 8-11 in the fall. In Top Gun play in the spring, Five Star finished 15-4 including a win over #3 East Rowan and a win over #13 NCDB Rivercats to earn their way into our top 20 after a big turn around from the fall season.

  4. Carolina Rattlers

    The Rattlers came into the spring ranked #12 after posting a 20-5 record in the fall season including a title at the D2 12u Top Gun Winter World Series. It is a bit unclear as to what occurred with this group as we can only locate a 5-8 record for them in the spring. Nevertheless, they did post a win over #6 Majestic Greensboro, a win over #11 Five Star Carolina - Smith, a win over #16 West Raleigh Blue, and a win over #17 Sandhills Heat, which we felt was enough to keep them in the year-end rankings.