Sequoyah Stonecipher's Aflac Diary, July 26, 2006. Hitting the high heat with wood.

Sequoyah Stonecipher’s Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic Diary

July 26, 2006

I don’t have to tell you that it’s been hot in San Diego lately, but you don’t know what “hot” is until you’ve spent a good part of your summer in Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. That’s what I did at the end of June and into early July.

Of course, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to play baseball in those places for three elite events, so I shouldn’t sound like I’m complaining. But San Diegans don’t know real heat and humidity until they’ve been in the South in the summer.

I was in Fayetteville, Ark., for the Perfect Game National Showcase and then my dad and I drove to Joplin, Mo., for the USA Baseball Junior National team tryouts. We came home briefly before we flew to Atlanta, Ga., for the World Wood Bat Association tournament.

The first two events were by invitations for about 200 guys. The Atlanta event was club team tournament and I played with my club team from Anaheim, the ABD Bulldogs.

All three events were great experiences because you get a chance to play against the best competition in the nation and we play with wood bats instead of metal that we use in high school.

The biggest difference at these elite tournaments is you see more pitchers who can throw 90 miles-per-hour. In high school baseball, I might face one or two guys who can throw in the high 80s, but at these events it seemed like everybody was throwing in the 90s. It was quite a challenge.

In Fayetteville, nobody was hitting the pitching, but I hit better at the USA Baseball Junior National team tryouts in Joplin. It was more of a hitter’s place. The games were longer and you got more at bats so more of chance to get into a groove.

In Joplin, the whole town embraces the USA Junior National Team tryouts. USA Baseball runs the tryouts, but we stay with families in town for the whole week.

I made the cut from 200-plus guys to 32 for the U.S. Junior National team – it’s for players 18-and-under -- that will play in the Junior World Championships Sept. 17-28 in Cuba. The 32 players return to Atlanta Sept. 6 for more trials before the final team cut to 18 is made.

Last summer I was on the USA Baseball Youth National team that played in the world Youth National Championships in Monterrey, Mexico. It's for players 15-and-under and I was eligible since I was still only 15 last summer. I don't turn 17 until this November of my senior year.

Our Youth National Team brought home the silver medal after we got beat by Cuba. So I’ve used wood at these elite summer national team events before, but never as much as this summer.

Actually, I like playing with wood. I think a wood bat shows who are the best hitters. You don’t have as large of a sweet spot with a wood bat as you do with a metal bat. The metal bats are lighter so you can miss the sweet spot and still get a hit. But with a wood bat you have to hit it square and that makes it more of a challenge.

I heard some guys talk about how they struggle going from a metal bat in high school to a wood bat in the summer. But I haven’t had a problem. When you connect for a good, hard hit with a wood bat, it feels so much better. It feels more comfortable.

It feels even better without the heat and humidity, but don’t think I brought Atlanta’s weather with me back to San Diego.