FIRECRACKERS SPORTS BLOG
Mental Monday with Go 4 Gold
Jon Gold, M.A | Go 4 Gold
Gratitude = Game
Thanksgiving was this past Thursday and some of you may have had the experience of being put on the spot when it was your turn at the table to share something you are thankful for. Were you prepared?
Mental Monday with Go 4 Gold
Jon Gold, M.A | Go 4 Gold
“Managing Anxious Thoughts”
When managing anxious thoughts there are many ways to try and cope, and for the most part the best way is very much so individualized and dependent upon the situation. As a baseball or softball player, as well as any other high performer, because you are human, you too will experience anxious thinking.
2021 CT Rage: Team Scout Day – Scouting Blog
Mike Alberts | Director of Player Development; Firecracker Sports
2021 CT Rage: Team Scout Day – 10.24.21
We had a beautiful day for baseball at the Boys & Girls Club of Redding, CT this past Sunday. The event was attended by 8+ college and professional coaches from D2, D3, JUCO and MLB as well. We saw a very talented group of 30+ players ranging in graduation classes from 2022 to 2025 from a talented organization CT Rage.
We are going to highlight some of the top players that participated but also some up and comers who you should keep an eye out for in the coming months. Top performers are listed at the bottom of this email, for the major testing categories, including the schools and professional organizations that were present for this event.
2021 The Cage Warriors and Brooklyn Bonnies: Team Scout Day – Scouting Blog
Mike Alberts | Director of Player Development; Firecracker Sports
We had a beautiful day for baseball at American Legion fields in Brooklyn, NY this past Saturday. The event was attended by 10+ college and professional coaches from D2, D3, JUCO and MLB as well. We saw a very talented group of 50+ players ranging in graduation classes from 2022 to 2025 from 2 talented organizations including the Brooklyn Bonnies, the Cage Warriors and also players from Youth Services League, Frozen Ropes and more.
We are going to highlight some of the top players that participated but also some up and comers who you should keep an eye out for in the coming months. Top performers are listed at the bottom of this email, for the major testing categories, including the schools and professional organizations that were present for this event.
2021 Columbus Day Bash Baseball Tournament – Scouting Blog
Robert Gallucci | Director of Marketing & Digital Content
Firecracker Sports began our final fall tournament series this past holiday weekend with the 4th Annual Columbus Day Bash. This year there were 52 teams across the three divisions (14U, 16U and 18U) playing at twelve venues in Connecticut including Dodd Stadium, Mitchell College; Trinity College, Eastern Connecticut State University and many more. This event was extra special to finish the 2021 season as we included softball as well, for a total of 72 teams and over 4,500 attendees bringing an economic impact to these communities of over $500,000 dollars. Also check out our previous scouting blog about the College Showcase Camp at Dodd Stadium, which was held on Friday, October 8th with 50+ players, 20+ coaches from college and professional that was held on a beautiful evening.
2021 Columbus Day Bash Softball Tournament – Scouting Blog
Robert Gallucci | Director of Marketing & Digital Content
Firecracker Sports hosted the fourth annual Columbus Day Bash Tournament but added softball for the first time ever. This was poised to be the first full tournament after the intense rains of Fourth of July rendered fields unplayable and forced us to cancel the remainder of the tournament. With little to no rain in the forecast, we were incredibly excited to start action in Connecticut.
2021 Columbus Day Bash – College Showcase Camp: Scouting Blog
Mike Alberts | Director of Player Development
We had a perfect night for baseball at Dodd Stadium, former location of the Double – A New York Yankees and current home to the Norwich Sea Unicorns in the Futures League. The event was attended by 20+ college and professional coaches from D1, D2, D3, JUCO and MLB as well. We saw a very talented group of 50+ players ranging in graduation classes from 2022 to 2025 but also a first for 2021, we had 15 players from Canada participating as they flew in for the first time since being showcased in the United States in 2019!
We are going to highlight some of the top players that participated but also some up and comers who you should keep an eye out for in the coming months. Top performers are listed at the bottom of this email, for the major testing categories.
2021 Long Island Showcase Classic Tournament – Scouting Blog
Robert Gallucci | Director of Marketing & Digital Content
Firecracker Sports hosted the second annual Long Island Showcase Classic this past weekend, the third of four fall tournaments on the 2021 schedule. This event is the most intimate of the year with 13 teams across the two divisions (15/16u and 17/18u) playing at four venues on Long Island.
Day 1, Saturday
I started my tournament at Borella Field in Plainview, NY with the 15/16u division. The first matchup was between Beast 15u Black and the Glen Cove Reds. The Reds would total five hits but three costly errors from Beast increased the gap.
2021 Granite State Fall Brawl – Scouting Blog
Robert Gallucci | Director of Marketing & Digital Content
Firecracker Sports kicked held their second of four fall tournaments this past weekend with the third annual Granite State Fall Brawl. This year there were 20 teams across the three divisions (13/14u, 15/16u and 17/18u) playing at five venues in New Hampshire.
Day 1, Saturday
I started my tournament at Sullivan Park on the campus of Saint Anslem College in Manchester, NH and the first game on my schedule was in the 15/16u division between GBG Northeast 16u and Nor’Easters 16u. A great game to start my tournament as it was tied at zeros going into the sixth inning.
2021 Labor Day Classic – Scouting Blog
Robert Gallucci | Director of Marketing & Digital Content
Firecracker Sports kicked off their fall tournament series this past holiday weekend with the 7th annual Labor Day Classic. This year there were 25 teams across the three divisions (13/14u, 15/16u and 17/18u) playing at five venues in Rhode Island.
Day 1, Saturday
I started my tournament with the 9:00 am game at Cumberland High School between Ocean State Outlaws 15U Showcase Navy and Nor’Easters 16U. A complete defensive duel saw the 1-0 game go in favor of Ocean State Outlaws in eight innings, an exciting way to start the day full of action. Nor’Easters’ pitcher Braydon Gray (2023) registered a no hitter in 4.2 innings pitched with 11 strikeouts and four walks. Our scouts saw his dominance, adding that he has good height and build, stays tall on his back leg through his motion and sets from the belt. Knocking in the go ahead run for Outlaws in the top of the eighth was Carson Dupras (2024) as he registered an infield sacrifice to provide the first run of the game.