Event Profile: Hot Corner Events Creates Competitive “Spring Showdown Series” for the Best Club Teams in Texas

Hot Corner Events, which runs tournament, camps and clinics in Texas, is in the middle of an innovative five-tournament series—four weekend “legs” leading into an eight-team World Series—called the Spring Showdown Series featuring many of the top travel ball teams in the Lone Star State.

The Spring Showdown consists of “4 legs” or separate weekend tournaments for 14U and 12U-aged players not currently playing high school ball or able to attend the even if 14U eligible. The four-leg series is held at Gene Campbell Sports Park in Conroe, Texas.

The top eight teams in both age divisions will advance to play in a Spring World Series to be held May 14-16, 2021 at Lamson Park on the campus of the University of Louisiana. The teams are determined by point standings after all four legs are completed with the top eight teams advancing.

The first leg was held February 26-28, leg 2 was completed March 12-14 and the third leg wrapped up last weekend (March 26-28). Leg 4 will be held the weekend of April 16-18 and has a compelling, additional feature: the points awarded will be doubled.

The winner of each leg receives back the entry fee paid for that event and at the end of the Spring Showdown Series the World Series winners at the 14U and 12U divisions will receive cash prizes. The structure of the World Series will be three 90-minute seeded pool games leading into double elimination bracket with the championship game being seven innings.

Many of the best teams not just in Texas, but in the nation at the younger age divisions, are going head to head in the Spring Showdown Series.

At 14U alone, the competitors have included Texas Riptide, Impact Gold National – Hays, Hotshots Premier – Esparza, Impact Gold National – Smith, Hotshots Premier – Tyson, Athletics -Mercado/Bonola 2024, Texas Shock National 07, Hotshots Premier -Hawkins, Texas Dirt Divas, Centex Buzz, Texas Glory – Naudin, Impact Gold Premier – Torres, Texas Blaze National and Firecrackers Turner.

MVPs for each age division are recognized at each level after every leg and more information on the events can be found at the Hot Corner Events website.

The focus of the event, according to one Hot Corner Events director, is “on a lot of game-time reps and competing at a premier level. The event is very deep in Texas 14U talent.  Every team had a lot of game time and tons of reps to help the development of these young players and several teams played eight and even nine long games on the weekend and were better for it.”

Gary Smith, the head coach of Impact Gold – Smith which has won two PGF Nationals titles previously, was impressed with the amount of on-field time his teams received.

“It was a great opportunity to get a ton of in-game reps. The gauntlet of nine or ten 90-minute games in two days was an experience, especially when every game we play we are always their championship game!” he joked.

Last weekend, the winner of 12U was Hotshots Premier ’08 and taking the 14U title was Impact Gold – Hays.

Coach Eric Hays of Impact Gold says he is enjoying the series of tourneys.

“This is the second Hot Corners Event we have played in and, so far, we are highly impressed with how well run the tournament is. It’s at a well-kept facility and during the tourney the staff is constantly maintaining it and pushing to keep the schedule on time and completed.”

Hays’ Impact Gold team is currently 4^th in the standings after leg 3 (see 14U and 12U potin standings below). The coach says his Impact Gold team was balanced across the board last weekend to pull out the win.

“Mallie West dominated on the mound, facing 90 batters while only allowing eight runs in 21 innings, the coach began. “Our defense only committed five errors while recording 134 outs over nine games in two days and our hitting kept the pressure on the opposing teams with 88 hits over 44 innings, scoring 63 runs.”

For the Impact Gold, Payton Miller, Madylin Stringer, Bella Battaglia, Lily Calderon, Siannah Nava, and Scarlet Archuleta all hit over .425 average with Lauren Gentry hitting a grand slam in the championship game going 2-3 at the plate with 5 RBIs against a strong Hotshots Premier – Tyson team, which is currently second in the point standing.

“Hotshots Premier – Tyson gave us a great run earlier Sunday,” Coach Hays explains, “sending us to the loser bracket and forcing us to fight back to face them again in the championship.”

“Facing this team over the past couple years has allowed me to see them grow more than any other team in Houston. Coaches Aimee Church and Tyson Schweitzer have really done a great job with this group pushing them to face tough competition and continuing to get better and better. It’s great to see teams like this climb the ladder by simply just working hard and getting better rather than just recruiting talent.”

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