Andrew Drennen; ESPNRISE.com

The New York Yankees' Area Code Baseball Tryouts will get under way, starting on Wednesday, June 17 at the home of the Washington Wildthings in Washington, Penn.  This is the first of five total tryouts in which a roster will be built to represent the Northeast at the 2009 Area Code Baseball Games this August. 

	Courtesy of Aviles Family
	Aviles looks to earn a trip to Long Beach

Last year's Yankees Area Code Team roster featured some of the best players in the Northeast led by three players who made the All-Area Code Team.  Mike Trout (drafted No. 25, Angels) was the highest player on the Yankees team taken in this year's MLB Draft. 

One of the players who will be at the Area Code Tryouts this year in the Northeast is Robbie Aviles out of Suffern, N.Y.  Last year, he attended the tryout and made the final roster, but was unable to attend.

This year he is looking forward to the tryout and hopefully a shot at getting to Long Beach. 

"I attended [the tryouts] last year,” Aviles stated, "and I couldn't get out to California.”

"It was an awesome experience,” he added. An experience that included a trip last year to Yankee Stadium, last July.  The entire Yankee Area Code Team roster was invited for a tour of the ballpark, something that Aviles and his teammates experienced. 

When players attend the tryout for the first time, there is usually a heightened sense of anxiety and nerves because of the opportunity the lies before all players.  For Aviles there were some nerves, but going into the tryout this year he seems to be more relaxed. 

"I went with one of my teammates form high school last year and we were both very nervous,” he remarked.  "We knew we were playing in front of scouts and college scouts.” 

"I think after going through it the first time, I should be more relaxed and perform better,” he said.  He will attend the tryout at Waterfront Park in Trenton, N.J. 

A player attending the tryout for the first time is Cito Culver, a utility player out of Rochester, N.Y.  At Irondequit, Culver hit .437.

"First I thought it was an honor. Growing up the Yankees have always been my favorite team. It was a shock,” said Cito Culver, who is attending the tryout in Allentown, Penn.  For Culver it is his first time attending an Area Code Tryout. 

"I really don't know what it is going to be like, cause I have never been invited to this before,” remarked Culver, who is in the same boat as Aviles was last year. 

Right now Aviles and Culver have not yet made their decisions about school. Culver said his front runner, though, is LSU.

Both will get a shot for a roster spot.
 

There were two changes to the Yankees' Area Code Baseball Tryouts today.  The first change is that the tryout in New England is moving from Pawtucket to Waltham, Mass., at Bently College.  The second change is on June 22, the tryout is moving to the Diamond in Richmond, Va.  The tryout times will remain the same.

For more information on Area Code Baseball visit areacodebaseball.com.

Posted by Andrew Drennen

Kelly Dugan (Notre Dame; Sherman Oaks, Calif.): Dugan blasted two homers in an 8-6 win over Jesuit (Carmichael, Calif.)

Jimmy Bosco (Jesuit) launched a homer over the centerfield wall in the 8-6 loss to Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 

Ryan Arnold of Northview (Covina, Calif.) is headed off to UNLV.  He hit one out Monday against Mitty.  He has a strong arm and a good bat.  Interesting thing about that game is that it will be finished at 9am on Tuesday morning with the score tied at seven.

Matt Hobgood hit one out Monday against Casey Upperman of Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale, Ariz.). Norco (Calif.) fell 9-8.  Hobgood is scheduled to throw on Tuesday in their game against Aptos (Calif.). There is anticipation when he takes the mound against Aptos.  There should be many scouts in attendance for that game and wouldn't be surprised if there are scouts coming in from other areas.  

Scores from the day:

Mater Dei - 4 Aptos 3
Notre Dame (AZ) 9 - Norco 8
Esperanza 8 - Mamaroneck (NY) 7
Palm Beach Central (FL) 3 - Spanish Fork (UT) 1
Notre Dame (CA) 8 - Jesuit 6
El Dorado 9 - Don Bosco Prep (NJ) 7
El Toro 8 - De La Salle 6

Best matchup on Tuesday may be Notre Dame Prep (AZ) vs Mater Dei
Best matchup story may be De La Salle vs Don Bosco Prep.  The last time these two schools met in the 08-09 school year was on the football field and the boys from New Jersey came out on top.

Posted by Andrew Drennen

Don Bosco Prep is currently ranked No. 8 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 National Rankings.  They won their second game of the year when they topped Bergen Catholic 5-0.  Eric Stevens went the distance fanning 10.  Where will they be ranked this week? Check out the ESPN RISE Baseball Page this week.

Click here for the story.

The University of San Diego announced the signing of eight players for the 2010 season. Singing with USD are: Mike Dedrick (Canyon View / Cedar City, Utah), Evan DeLucca (Immaculata HS / Whitehouse Station, N.J.), Cameron Garfield (Murrieta Valley HS / Murrieta, Calif.), Matt Moynihan (Cathedral Catholic HS / San Diego, Calif.), James Needy (Santana HS / Santee, Calif.), Andrew Walter (Cactus HS / Peoria, Ariz.), Jake Williams (Brophy Prep / Scottsdale, Ariz.), and Aaron Wirsch (El Toro HS / Trabuco Canyon, Calif.).

	Elaine Shepard
	Andrew Walter will play at USD next year for Coach Rich Hill.

 
Mike Dedrick is a 6-3 right-handed pitcher, who is ranked No. 39 top high school prospect by Baseball America. He was first-team All State as a junior, selected as an Under Armour All-American. He had a busy summer playing in the USA Baseball Tournament of Stars, the Perfect Game National Showcase and the Area Code Baseball Games, where he suited up for the Cincinnati Reds.

"Mike is a very competitive RHP, low 90's with a dynamic curve ball, stated Coach Rich Hill in a USD press release.  "He has one of those electric arms that we can't wait to get here.
 
Evan Deluca is a 6-1 left-handed pitcher, comes to San Diego all the way from New Jersey and the coaching staff of USD thinks he is a sleeper. 
 
Cameron Garfield is catcher out of Southern California and is one of the best catchers in the state. He was selected to the Angels Elite Scout Team this fall and over the summer played for the Milwaukee Brewers Blue team. He was named to the CalHiSports.com All-State Underclass Team in 2008.  The other two catchers on that team were Max Stassi (Yuba City, Calif.) and Andrew Susac (Jesuit, Carmichael, Calif.).

"Cameron has that rare quality of being a physical offensive player while playing a premium defensive position, stated Hill.  "He should step right in and provide a serious punch to our line-up and is one of the premier position players in the country.
 
Matt Moynihan, an outfielder, will bring more athleticism and speed to the team. At the 2008 Area Code Games (Milwaukee Brewers Blue) Moynihan posted the seventh best SPARQ Rating at 76.94. This past summer he played at the Perfect Game National Showcase in Minnesota.   

"With his speed and athleticism, both centerfield and the top of the order are in good hands for years to come, commented Rich Hill.

James Needy was selected as the No. 68 top high school prospect by Baseball America.  He was selected as the Santana Varsity Most Outstanding Athlete and was selected to the Area Code Games for the
Milwaukee Brewers.  He played in the USA Baseball's Tournament of the Stars and in Perfect Game National Showcase.
 
Andrew Walter goes to USD from Cactus High School in Glendale, Ariz.  He was a member of the Arizona Junior Sunbelt team as a junior and played in the Area Code Games for the Cincinnati Reds.  As a junior he pitched in 48.7 innings and posted 84 strikeouts with a 2.01 ERA.
  
Jake Williams was a teammate of Walters on the Cincinnati Reds Area Code Team. He was selected to the Tournament of the Stars with AABC and played in Perfect Games' National Showcase. He is the son of former Major League slugger Matt Williams.
 
Aaron Wirsch, joins the Toreros is a stand-out hurler at El Toro High School. When the Milwaukee Brewers decided to to take him to the 2008 Area Code Games, the Oakland Athletics picked him up.  He recently played in the Southern California Scouts Association Jesse Flores Memorial Game at USC this November.

"Aaron has that ideal pitcher body with a very loose arm action and his command of three excellent pitches, said Rich Hill.  "Aaron has a chance to be the next great left-handed pitcher in a long line of Torero star lefty's.

 USD Press Release contributed to this story.

Posted by Andrew Drennen

	Elaine Shepard/AC Baseball
	Trout is headed off to East Carolina.

Mike Trout, a 6-foot-1, 190 pound outfielder from Millville High School in Millville, N.J. verbally committed to play at East Carolina University.  Trout, was a member of the New York Yankees in the 2008 Area Code Baseball Games this past August.  He also played in the 2008 East Coast Professional Showcase in Florida.

At the 2008 Area Code Games, Trout posted the second highest SPARQ Rating at the event, with a 83.07.  His testing marks were: 3.64 30-yard dash, 4.47 shuttle, 60 foot power ball toss and 33.5 vertical jump.  The only player higher than Trout was Kenny Diekroeger of the Milwaukee Brewers (Gray).

As a result of Trouts performance on the field at the 2008 Area Code Baseball Games, he was selected to the 2008 All Area Code Team.  

By Area Code Baseball

This years Area Code Games produced a deep crop of premium high school talent. With well over 300 Major League Scouts in attendance throughout the week the scouts walked away with many players from around the country to follow into next spring. The games featured eight power packed teams that were run and organized in an excellent manner. The detail in which the games are run is truly a unique model.

The Texas Rangers in the final game defeated the last years defending Area Code Champions the Milwaukee Brewers Blue 4-2. The Rangers from top to bottom had a tremendous group of players which featured a 23 player roster. The Rangers had a balanced attack of offense and solid pitching. Shelby Miller a 6'3 195lb. righthander from Brownwwod High School and Todd Glaesmann an athletic 6'4 190lb.outfielder from Midway High School were standouts.

The games also unveiled many of the rising underclassman around the country. Bryce Harper a 2011 catcher from Las Vegas showed power at the plate well ahead of his years leaving many MLB Scouts in the stands to make comparisons to the Minnesota Twins Catcher Joe Mauer. Other notable underclassman at the Area Codes were Josh Sale a 2010 outfielder from Seattle WA displayed one of the best all around swings and hit for the cycle against the Chicago White Sox. Christian Lopes from Valencia High School a 2011 shortstop had solid performances the entire week. 

Name	Position	Year	Area Code Team
Camero Garfield	C	2009	Milwaukee Brewers (Blue)
Tommy Joseph	C	2009	Cincinnati Reds
Bryce Harper	C	2011	Cincinatti Reds
Geno Escalante	C	2009	Milwaukee Brewers (Gray)
Clay Cederquist	1B	2009	Milwaukee Brewers (Gray)
Colton Cain	1B	2009	Texas Rangers
David Nick	2B	2009	Milwaukee Brewers (Blue)
Matt Davidson	3B	2009	Milwaukee Brewers (Blue)
Eric Brady	SS	2009	Oakland A's
Steven Bruno	SS	2009	New York Yankees
Kenny Diekroeger	SS	2009	Milwaukee Brewers (Gray)
Mike Trout	OF	2009	New Your Yankees
Demetrius McKelvie	OF	2009	Oakland A's
Joshua Sale	OF	2010	Washington Nationals
Jake Marisnick	OF	2009	Milwaukee Brewers (Blue)
Randal Grichuk	OF	2009	Texas Rangers
Todd Glaesmann	OF	2009	Texas Rangers
Trent Stevenson	RHP	2009	Cincinnati Reds
Tyler Skaggs	LHP	2009	Milwaukee Brewers (Blue)
Nicholas Berhel	RHP	2009	Milwaukee Brewers (Gray)
Niko Spezial	LHP	2009	New York Yankees
Ian Krol	LHP	2009	Chicago White Sox
Chad James	LHP	2009	Chicago White Sox
Paul Strong	LHP	2009	Milwaukee Brewers (Blue)
Shelby Miller	RHP	2009	Texas Rangers
Jonathan Meyer	Utility	2009	Milwaukee Brewers (Gray)

by Andrew Knepper

Halfway through this year's Area Code Games, we have seen a combined no-hitter by the Cincinnati Reds team, the cycle from Joshua Sale of the Washington Nationals and elite pitching from all clubs. During the first nine games, there have been handfuls of standout individuals making a name for themselves. Here are our mid-week standouts:

Ian Krol -- One of the best pitching prospect at this year's games, Krol only attended for one day, but during his two innings of work he struck out five of the six batters he faced. He showed great command with his fastball that averaged 86-89 and a hook that fooled everyone he faced.

Chad James -- He's a hard-throwing left-handed pitcher who has three good pitches with a fastball that sits around 88 MPH, a change-up that sits around 76-78 MPH, and a hook that breaks around 73-76. Throwing from the left side, he has a high leg kick and hides the ball well and looks to have a high ceiling.

Bryce Harper -- Even though we have written about Harper nonstop, he keeps giving up reasons to include him in this list. With an outstanding arm behind the dish that several Vegas area scouts have graded as plus, he has thrown out several runners easily this week. At the plate, he has not been fooled once as he has not swung at a bat pitch yet. He has good strike recognition and hits the ball with authority to all fields. Yesterday, he nearly missed a big fly by hitting a towering fly ball to left field. Also, don't forget that he is only 15 years old.

Geoff Baldwin -- This power hitting, left swinging first baseman has shown a solid swing all week hitting a few balls to the deep power alleys and his defensive play is what is separating him from other first baseman.

Tom Lemke -- This towering right-handed pitcher from Phoenix has shown great command with solid velocity with his fastball sitting at 88 MPH.

Tyler Matzek -- Tyler started the first game for the Milwaukee Brewers Blue squad during an exhibition game and gave the Chicago White Sox trouble. A six-foot-three left-handed hurler, he mowed down the six batters he faced with his 92 MPH fastball that showed great movement.

Tyler Skaggs -- This loose throwing lefty stands in at six-foot-four and is mechanically sound, with a smooth release, while the ball comes out of his hand very well.

Cameron Garfield -- Hailing out of Murrieta, Calif., Garfield has been on scouts' radars for a long time and is now showing his tools at this year's games. He has hit the ball with authority and has played well behind the dish during his innings of work.

Geno Escalante -- He has had an outstanding performance during his time behind the dish at the Area Code Games. He was 3-for-3 in throwing out runners and should be 4-for-4 but no one covered the bag and the runner was allotted second base.

Kenny Diekroeger -- Kenny has been playing great all-around ball the entire week. Not only has he looked good on the field, but he was also the top SPARQ Rated athlete recording an 85.96 rating. Hitting balls to all fields with a nice gap stroke, Kenny has been the hottest hitter on the Gray team.

Mitchell Haniger -- He has the potential for a great future. Mitchell has impressed everyone with his approach at the plate and his defensive versatility.

Stephen Bruno -- Coming out of the Northeast from New Jersey, this middle infielder has shown great range while working in the field. He gets good jumps off of the ball and shows a quick release that has got his team out of a few jams. With his bat, he possesses a nice flat swing that shows decent gap power.

Eric Brady -- Eric is a smooth fluid shortstop who displays a strong throwing arm across the diamond. He seems to be a perfect fit at the shortstop position so what scouts are seeing is what they are going to get.

Demetrius McKelvie -- Demetrius is a very athletically gifted player who is a two sport prospect that plays safety in football and outfield in baseball. With a large frame of 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, he is being recruited in both sports but wants to stay in baseball. On the field, he looks to be a corner outfielder in the future with a 7.07 60-yard dash and a strong bat with power to the gaps.

Randal Grichuk -- Randal has absolutely crushed the ball the entire tournament. On one pitch he hit to left center, he cleared the wall easily by 30 feet and the ball roughly traveled 400 feet. Every ball, an out or a hit, has been hit with authority.

Colton Cain -- Like Randal, Colton has been mashing the ball. The entire Rangers team has been very strong on the offensive side of the ball, but Colton has stood out over most. He has a large frame at 6-foot-3 225 pounds, and he uses every ounce of his frame to generate an aggressive powerful swing. On the mound, he has been solid as well, mixing his pitches well and dominating the opposing hitters.

Cohl Walla -- Walla is a pitcher as well as an outfielder and with his tall and lanky frame of 6-foot-4, 170 pounds he looks to add more pop and velocity as he fills into his frame.

Joshua Sale -- To say the least, Sale has had one of the best performances for the week. Last night, Thursday the 7th, Joshua left the yard with a bomb to right center field that was in the rage of 390 feet to cap off a decent day's of work recording a "cycle for the first time in recent memory at the Area Code Games.

Kyrell Hudson -- This two sport star (football and baseball) recorded the fastest 60 time of evaluation day by blazing a 6.33 on the SPARQ Timing systems. In the field, he has tracked fly balls with ease, even though he has had to cover large amounts of ground and on the base paths he is almost guaranteed to record a stolen base every time he reaches the bag.

Posted by Andrew Drennen

NEW YORK, N.Y. It was a final workout for the Yankees Area Code Team. The trip to the Bronx not for evaluation, but to reward the players for their selection to the 2008 Area Code Baseball Games and represent the Northeast.

The East Coast has seen its fair share of ominous weather over the past couple of days, and because of the heavy rains in the morning the team could not scrimmage, something last year's team was able to do.

Yet, the players got to dress in one of the stadium's locker rooms and don the pin stripes that are so recognizable in baseball. Through the tunnels beneath the stadium the players walked where heroes of baseball's past once did.

"Amazing, stated Area Coder Jake Mayers of Mechanicsville, Va., "it's great to be under the same roof as DiMaggio, Ruth and all the great players.

Teammate Marcus Stroman (pictured), out of Medford, N.Y. agreed with Mayers.

"It's a historic ball park, he said. "I dreamed for the longest time to see Yankee Stadium.

Stroman also echoed Mayers in that it is a great place to be because of the history.

For all of these players, it was a chance of a lifetime, to play in a cathedral of sport and know all the great players who stepped out on the same field.

"This is definitely one of the best experiences of my life. I mean to just get the opportunity to be here and see what the Major Leaguers go through everyday is one of the best things I could do, Stroman added.

Fellow Yankee Area Coder, Mike Yastrzemski (Andover, Mass.) added, "It was a great place to visit, something I'll always will remember.

And with the rain, the players were still able to get a taste of Yankee Stadium, and they would be the last Area Code Team to do so.

Mayers summed it up perfectly, "Amazing.