CARY, N.C. — A few of the top players from or who are playing in the state of Georgia faced off last Saturday.
Two players from the Macon Bacon took on a Georgia Bulldog and Georgia native in a Team USA vs Coastal Plain League Select matchup.
Catcher David Stokely and pitcher Brady Pendley were both chosen from the Bacon’s roster to join the Coastal Plain League Select team.
Team USA’s Summer League Tour team traveled to play multiple summer ball select team’s from across the country and the CPL was their first opponent. They featured Ellenwood native KJ White — who plays for Southern University and A&M College — alongside Kennesaw native and UGA slugger Tre Phelps.
White faced off against his head coach Chris Crenshaw, who helped run the select team.
Phelps, who's coming off his freshman season, was a key piece at points in Georgia's lineup this past season. He had a .353 batting average, had 40 RBIs and 12 home runs. His performance earned him a place as a second team All-American and on the freshman All-SEC team. He was also named to the NCAA Athens Regional All-Tournament Team.
Phelps continued his success in the first game against the CPL. Batting sixth, he was perfect at the plate, and added a key solo-shot home run and RBI to his stat total. He also crossed the plate twice, more than anyone else in the game. His two hits and two runs led both Team USA and the game as a whole.
Meanwhile, Stokely, who had two at bats before being substituted to give more playing time for other players, had one of the best batting stats for the CPL.
The Murray State catcher had one hit out of his two at bats, but that one hit was key to give the CPL an early lead. His single dropped right in front of the center fielder. Eventually, Greenville's Jack Herring brought him home for the first run of the game.
Phelps and Team USA would fight back and eventually take the lead and a 5-2 win, but Stokely helped the CPL take an early lead that lasted for a few innings.
Stokely and Pendley didn’t suit up in game two, while Team USA claimed a 2-1 win. Phelps, who batted second in this game, went 1-3 at the plate and, like both teams, was quiet on offense.
Phelps and the Summer League Tour team then took on the Appy League East Select team on Monday, where they earned their first loss 4-3.
However, UGA’s top freshman came out swinging in the team’s fourth game. He tallied two hits for a second game of the tour and had a tour high three RBIs thanks to a bases clearing triple. The team won 7-6 and prepared for a matchup against themselves.
The Summer League Tour roster faced off against the International Series roster on July 4th in a Stars vs Stripes game.
The International Series roster, which went by the name the Stars, featured Georgia pitchers Alton Brown II and Kolten Smith, Atlanta native KJ White and Georgia Tech freshman and Houston County alumni Drew Burress.
Burress went nearly perfect at the plate, had two RBIs and was responsible for half his team’s points.
Meanwhile Phelps, who faced teammates Smith and Davis, struggled as he went 0-4 at the plate. He did bring home an RBI thanks to a sac fly in the ninth inning off of Davis.
The run tied up the game, which placed the Stars with an opportunity to walk off the game. After a walk and a strike out, Burress was intentionally walked.
A fly out to center field advanced the runners, but left only one out to work with. Tennessee’s Dean Curley hit a single to right field, which brought Marek Houston home and gave the Stars a walk-off win.
The game brought an end to Team USA’s tour of games, allowing each player to return to its respective summer league.
Meanwhile, players from the Coastal Plain League Select team already returned home, including Bacon’s stars. The team played in its own July 4th game.
Now, Macon will face off against Lexington County at home at 7 p.m. on Saturday.