Butler trio enjoys 'consolation prize'
BUTLER TWP — Winning a national championship is a big deal.
It's not a bad consolation prize, either.
Such was the case for Regan Peth, Anthony Trombatt and Blake Scott, three Butler 12-year-olds who are part of the No Offseason 12-under team based out of Tarentum this season.
Gene Scott, Blake's father, is head coach of the team. He had planned on putting the squad in the prestigious Cooperstown (NY) 12-year-old tourney this summer.
The Cooperstown event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That was so disheartening,” Scott said. “I really felt badly for these boys. Cooperstown is a once-in-a-lifetime tournament, one chance to play in it, and they lost out.
“There's 104 teams there, you stay the week, the atmosphere is incredible ... Losing out on that chance made me want to do something else for the kids.”
The team had done a fund-raiser to raise money for the Cooperstown trip.
Scott heard about a youth baseball national championship tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C., earlier this month and decided to enter his team. The funding was already in place.
Ten of the players — including Regan, Anthony and Blake — were able to make the trip for the week-long tournament. No Offseason played teams from Alabama, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Mississippi.
It won the nine-team tourney, outscoring its opponents 90-20 while winning all eight of its games.
No Offseason defeated the Anchor Bay Angels (Mich.), 19-2, in the championship game.
“As well as we played, I really believe our team had a good chance at winning Cooperstown,” Scott said.
All three Butler boys had an impact on the national title triumph at Myrtle Beach. Regan played the outfield, fielded flawlessly and hit .421 for the week.
Anthony had 19 putouts at second base and stole eight bases. Blake had 15 strikeouts in eight innings on the mound. He also played first and third base.
“I normally play catcher, but our second baseman couldn't make the trip, so I played there,” Anthony said. “I've played that position before.
“We had a lot of hits as a team. It was fun. That team we played from Mississippi was pretty good.”
No Offseason defeated the Underclassmen from Biloxi, 13-6, in its final pool play game. The team then defeated Palos Thunder from Illinois, 11-2, in the quarterfinals and High Voltage from Alabama, 5-4, in the semifinal round before cruising in the championship game.
The games were played on turf fields with temperatures hovering around 90.
“It was pretty hot,” Regan said. “We just hit the ball better than everybody else.”
The team played two games on the same day once and had a day off during the week.
“We got to swim in the ocean. That was cool,” Anthony said.
Blake said he threw a fastball, splitter and slider to pick up all of his strikeouts.
“The turf was a little worn down and made it feel a little hotter,” he said. “I love to pitch. I like striking people out and making them look mad.”
Scott said the trip was definitely worthwhile.
“Winning that tournament is something they'll remember,” the coach said. “Our team was really stacked this year with a lot of talent.
“When you're 12 years old, it's a pivotal year in baseball. A lot of kids stop playing after that. The fields get bigger and they've had enough. I'm glad we were able to do this.”
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