The Apprentice School Wins 2022 USCAA Baseball Championships

DUBOIS, Pa. -- The Apprentice School Builders completed a run for the record books on Thursday winning three games to capture the 2022 USCAA Baseball Championship at Showers Field.

The fifth-seeded Builders captured the third title in school history with a wild 23-17 win over fourth-seeded Miami-Hamilton as Apprentice School rallied from a 15-2 deficit in the fifth and a 17-6 deficit in the sixth. Apprentice School lost its opener to Miami-Hamilton and became the first team to lose its opener and work all the way through the elimination bracket to win the title.

A combined 40 runs in the championship game broke the tournament record held since 2015, ironically when the last time Apprentice School won the championship defeating Illinois Tech 25-10 in the first of two championship games that year.

The Harriers rebounded from a 14-3 loss in the first championship game and jumped out with four runs in the first inning as Jarrod Bahr drove in two with a home run. Apprentice School answered with a run in the second, but Miami-Hamilton used a Stephen Stigler grand slam to push the lead to 8-1.

Tournament MVP Thomas Packert homered to right center to trim the deficit to 8-2, but again Miami-Hamilton answered this time with seven runs highlighted by a Chris Hoffman two-run single as they took a 15-2 lead.

Apprentice School put four on the board in the bottom of the fifth, but the Harriers answered again with a pair to lead 17-6 heading into the bottom of the sixth. From there, the Builders exploded.

A six-run sixth highlighted by a Caleb Russel grand slam trimmed the deficit to 17-12. They scored three in the seventh to pull to 17-15 on a Braden Lambert solo home run. In the eighth the Builders put up eight runs as Packert singled to left to tie the game at 17. Maxwell Burcham followed with the second grand slam of the game for the Builders putting them ahead 21-17. 

Packert closed the game out throwing the last two innings to earn his fourth win of the tournament. He was 5-for-6 with five runs scored to lead Apprentice School at the plate. Joining him in the multi-hit group was Burcham (3-for-5 with 6 RBIs), Ellis (2-for-4 with 3 RBIs), Holden Sandridge (3-for-4 with 4 RBIs) and Braxton Wallace (3-for-6 with 3 runs scored).

Hoffman was 5-for-5 with two runs and two driven in for Miami-Hamilton. Stigler was 3-for-5 with four driven in and three scored, while Daulton Miller was 3-ofr-6 and Bahr was 3-for-5 with two scored and three driven in. 

Apprentice School started the day with an eight-inning 6-3 win over Cincinnati-Clermont and then defeated Miami-Hamilton 14-3 to set up the winner-take-all game.

2022 USCAA All-Tournament Team

Tournament MVP – Thomas Packert – Apprentice School