By The Star Staff
The sixth edition of the DRD Baseball Academies Tournament (DRDBAT) specialized baseball schools tournament began this week with the participation of 13 schools.
For the second consecutive year, the initiative of the Department of Recreation and Sports (DRD by its Spanish initials) will produce the championship team that will represent Puerto Rico in the IMG National Classic in Tampa, Florida from March 25 to March 29.
“We continue with our mission to provide our student-athletes with the tools so that they can continue developing in the sport that they are so passionate about and, in this way, find study opportunities at the university level,” DRD Secretary Ray Jones Quiñones Vázquez said in a written statement. “With this tournament, we directly impacted nearly 500 young people from all over Puerto Rico. Furthermore, we always try to raise the tournament to the highest standards. This is why we implemented a statistics system through the Game Changer and PowerBi platforms so that followers can obtain play-by-play statistics.”
The current edition of the tournament has a new competition format. Games will be played in the afternoons on weekdays, with doubleheaders on Saturdays. The round-robin format will be maintained, allowing 12 games in the regular season, where the best eight will advance to the gold division. This series will be divided 3-2, which ensures a minimum of 14 games and a maximum of 23 games for the teams that reach the final series.
Tournament Director Ángel Herrera added that the 9th- through 13th-place teams will go on to play in the silver division.
“These teams will play for the silver division, a double-elimination bracket or key,” he said. “In this way, these teams will also have the opportunity to play a minimum of 14 games and a maximum of 17 games for those who reach the final. The championship team and the most valuable player of this division will also be awarded. Additionally, the most valuable player of the tournament and the gold gloves will be awarded by position.”
The specialized schools are: the International Baseball Academy (IBAHS), of Fajardo; Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy (CBBA), Florida; B-You Academy (B-You), Caguas; Leadership Christian Academy (LCA), Guaynabo; El Shaddai Christian Academy (ESCA), Dorado; Manuel Cruz Maceira (MCM), Comerío; Olympic Baseball Academy Hostel (AOBA), Salinas; Pro-Baseball Academy (PBA), Cayey; Puerto Rico Baseball Academy & High School (PRBAHS), Gurabo; Presby National Baseball Academy (Presby) and Christian Military Academy (CMA), Vega Baja.
This year the Ernestina Méndez Specialized School of Arts and Sports (ESCAED), from San Sebastián, will compete for the first time, as will The Palmas Academy of Humacao.
For fans who cannot make it to the venues, some games will be streamed on the DRD’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
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