In less than two weeks, one of the top high school baseball Spring Break tournaments in the nation will take place right here in South Florida. The HSBN March Madness Shootout presented by Galeo Spices will begin on Saturday, March 21st and run until champions are crowned at St. Thomas University on Thursday, March 26th. This 32-team tournament pits some of the most accomplished baseball programs in the area, including 11 former Florida state champions and three former National Champions. “It’s a no-brainer for us to host these games,” said St. Thomas University Manager Jorge Perez. “It’s good for players to see our facility and the field itself, the quality of the field we have. The kids enjoy being in it and for us, we get to see some of the best talent in the area.” Teams will be divided into two brackets of play, the Gold and Black Brackets. Brackets will be selected based upon overall seedings, which will be announced on March 16th. The teams seeded within the top 16 will compile the Gold Bracket, and the teams seeded from 17 to 32 will make up the Black Bracket. With the tournament just weeks away, everyone is getting excited. “We decided not to travel this year simply because of the teams we heard are in this,” admitted Flanagan Manager Ray Evans, whose Falcons are three-time state champions and also won the 2010 National Championship. “We thought we would be better off to stay put, even though we like to travel just to see what else is out there. But this time we stayed put simply because of the type of talent that is going to be in this tournament, from the teams that have really good individuals and then some really good teams overall. It will be really cool to have the best teams from the tri-county region, and it is really going to promote our area.” Another national championship manager agreed. “We knew that if HSBN is doing it, it will be a great one,” Archbishop McCarthy Manager Rich Bielski said. “If you do well in this tournament it’s a very good sign for your team.” With such high level of play, the HSBN March Madness Shootout expects to draw all the top college and pro scouts from across the country.

“I personally want to thank HSBN for the high school tournament it is hosting in the area of South Florida,” Chicago White Sox scout Jose “Pepe” Ortega said. “It is allowing us as scouts here in the area to be able to scout the talent here locally, and is allowing the players to be able to showcase their talents. The scouts here in South Florida completely back HSBN up 100%.”

Beyond the high level of competition are many other aspects that contribute to make the HSBN March Madness Shootout unique and exciting. Each team is guaranteed to play four games in all, and every team will play on Opening Day on March 21st. Teams that are eliminated from the winners bracket will then compete in the consolation pool, and consolation pool games will be assigned by HSBN to ensure teams face some fresh competition. Most programs have a school or two out there that they have always wished to face, and yet never got such an opportunity. The HSBN March Madness Shootout could make those games a reality. “It’s a great idea to do it that way,” agreed Bielski. “There are always teams you want to play but just don’t have room on your schedule, especially now that we are required to play two district games. This tournament enables the chance for some old rivalry games too, and that is exciting.” Due to the success the Mavericks have enjoyed in recent years, they know they will have a target on their backs. Yet in a field as deep and talented as this one, predicting an ultimate champion seems impossible to do. It is a tournament crown so many teams can realistically strive for, and the true winners will be all those in attendance to watch the best teams in the South Florida baseball community battle their way to the title. Here are the important details: – Tournament will run off of tournaments.hsbn.us. All teams and rosters have already been entered, so feel free to check them out anytime!. Also, scores, stats, and brackets can be found here each day. An all-tournament team will be selected at the end of the event. – The entire schedule of times and locations can be found now on the Tourney Schedule Page… And, daily schedules can be found here, as well as on your county schedule pages. – Schedules will be updated by 11PM each night for the next day’s action. – Seedings and first round match-ups will be announced Monday, March 16th. Teams: American (2014 State Champion) Archbishop Carroll Archbishop McCarthy (2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013 State Champion and 2011 National Champion) Belen Jesuit Benjamin Braddock Chaminade-Madonna Coral Gables (1960 State Champion) Coral Glades Coral Springs Cypress Bay Flanagan (2005, 2006 & 2010 State Champion & 2010 National Champion) Fort Lauderdale (1947 State Champion) Hialeah Educational Academy Hialeah Gardens Keys Gate Charter LaSalle Mater Academy (2014 State Champion) Mater Lakes Academy Miami Brito (1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2006 & 2014 State Champion) Miami Sunset Monsignor Pace (1978, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1988 & 2006 State Champion) Mourning North Broward Prep Pine Crest SLAM Academy South Miami (2000 State Champion) South Plantation St. Brendan (1983 State Champion) TERRA Institute West Broward Westminster Academy (1999 & 2000 State Champion)