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. 

We saw a lot of competition this spring for the top spot in the 11u age group. SBA Canes – Ross entered the spring #1, and for much of the spring they stayed atop the rankings. However, there were several contenders who made strong cases to be #1. In the end, the decision came down to 4 teams: SBA Canes – Ross, Five Star Carolina – Neyra, the Carolina Blue Sox, and Canes Baseball NC – Simpson. In the end, we settled on SBA Canes – Ross at #1. Here’s our reasoning for that decision and the rest of the top 20. 

The 10u age group saw one of the tightest battles for #1 among all of the age groups. Two teams, Canes Baseball NC – Gilchrist and SBA Canes – Marconi, separated themselves from the rest of the pack. In the end, we gave the edge to SBA Canes – Marconi because of their 2-1 head-to-head record against Canes Baseball NC – Gilchrist. Beyond the top 2, there were only 2 new teams in the top 20 from our end-of-fall rankings to our final spring rankings. There was, however, considerable shuffling amongst the top 20.

The 9u age group witnessed perhaps the best season by any team in any age group in North Carolina this year with that of the Park Sharon Nationals. They were dominant from start to finish, and ended their 9u campaign with a championship at the Wilson Demarini USSSA Elite World Series against many of the best teams in the country. Beyond Park Sharon, the spring saw significant change in our rankings, as 10 new teams finished in our top 20 this spring compared to the end-of-fall rankings. Here’s some highlights from the teams who made our top 20. 

The 8u age groups saw some really outstanding performances by numerous teams. […]