FARMINGTON – The rosters are set and the final planning phases are being made as Friday’s opening day of the pool play portion of the Connie Mack World Series rapidly approaches.
Here’s a look at some of the top players coming into the series from across the country that we’ll be keeping an eye on as the series plays out.
Browning took part in last year’s CMWS as a member of PPA White Sox Scout Team. A recent commit University of Arkansas, Browning has been one of the top producers for the Pleasant Grove (Texas) Hawks, hitting .363 with seven home runs and 36 runs batted in during his junior season.
He was selected to the THSBCA 4A All-State Team as a 1st Team SS and to the TSWA 4A All-State Team as a 3rd Team SS.
Sullivan, who pitched for the Redskins in last year’s CMWS, stands at 6-foot, 188 pounds and has a fastball consistently in the mid-90s that has reached as high as 97 miles per hour.
As a senior at Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) High, Sullivan went 3-1 with a 0.90 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 46.2 innings. His career ERA was 1.30 ERA over 145 innings with 256 strikeouts. The Warriors finished the season as Division II state runners-up.
Sullivan plans to play college ball next season at the University of Tennessee.
Another returning starter from last year, Viars has grown on and off the field to become one of the most important players on this summer’s roster.
“He has really grown up even beyond what he was last year,” said D-Bat head coach Ryan Bonesio. “He had a hit peak around .400, and he was one of the state leaders in home runs. That’s to go with the fact that his impact defensively is unmatched.”
Viars, a recent commit to West Virginia, has the potential to be something special as a catcher.
“I know that he’s got an opportunity to work into eventually becoming a catcher at West Virginia, as well,” Bonesio said. “He’s a fantastic player and he’s going to be a big part of how we do in this tournament.”
The recent Baylor commit comes off an impressive season at Montgomery (Texas) High School, in which he recorded a .387 batting average with six home runs, 25 runs batted in and 17 stolen bases.
A star infielder at Boswell High School in Fort Worth, Thacker has also excelled at powerlifting, recently winning the Texas Class 6A state title in the 181-lb. weight class, lifting a career-best total of 1,630 pounds.
Thacker has played a dozen games for the D-Bat United this summer, recording a .273 batting average with 10 runs batter in and 11 runs scored.
“Thacker is a defender and a good bat,” said Bonesio. “He’s a pretty good pitcher too, so we like to use him in the middle to bottom third of the lineup.”
Thacker has also been proficient on the mound as a relief pitcher for D-Bat United, striking out seven and allowing just four hits over five innings of work.
He is currently committed to playing baseball at Navarro College in Corsicana.
An incoming senior at Anderson (Texas) High School and commit to the University of Texas, Rippy has been a member of the team from the beginning of the summer.
Rippy is coming off a strong high school season, in which he earned Most Valuable Player honors and Offensive Player of the Year.
Blue Valley (Kansas) High’s Ethan Carswell is a switch-hitting middle infielder who recently announced his intent to play collegiate ball at the University of Southern California.
Carswell batted .308 for the Redbirds this summer.
A recent commit to the University of Texas after having recently graduate from Waxahachie (Texas) High, Robinson finished third among Class 6A baseball players with 11 home runs this past season. He finished the season with 61 runs batted in and only seven strikeouts.