Underclass Premier, Fresh 50 exceed expectations in Hartford

It was an ambitious weekend for sure, running two events at the same time at the same facility, one that would put quite a challenge on the staff of the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series to deliver what had been promised.

Challenge accepted.

The Underclass Premier and Fresh 50 both went off without a hitch at beautiful Dunkin Park in Hartford, with three days of action-packed, instruction-filled baseball taking place for both the 2027 and 2028/2029 grad classes.

Schedules alternated so that one group would lead off the day, and then get the night slot the next, but it was the Underclass Premier who kicked things off strong on Friday morning. Some of the top high school sophomore talents in the country put on a show over the three days in what turned out to be an ultra-competitive “series” that came down to the last day.

In the end, it was the Blue team led by the event’s Most Outstanding Player, Collin Thomas, that overcame a stacked Red squad, which featured the Underclass Premier’s Most Outstanding Pitcher, Stephen Ozuna, for a Game 3 win and a subsequent raucous celebration afterwards.

The Fresh 50 drew the second slot on Friday, and through the rotation, finished the weekend up. They finished it strong. The White/Red team, led by eventual Fresh 50 Most Outstanding Player Aaron Castillo, pulled away a to a big Game 3 win to take the series. NorCal righty Hudson Brown earned Most Outstanding Pitcher honors for a strong showing earlier in the weekend.

Signature events aren’t done yet, however, with the much-anticipated Main Event set for Globe Life Field, home of the defending World Series Champion Texas Rangers, from October 4-6. More details can be found at the following link for the eighth installment of what’s become one of the most-respected events in the amateur space and has helped produce major leaguers Grayson Rodriguez, Bo Naylor and Kyren Paris as well as numerous other top prospects across all of baseball.

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Mike Ashmore

Mike Ashmore is a veteran baseball writer. Since 2003 he has covered multiple World Series and has worked high-profile events ranging from the MLB All-Star Game to the World Baseball Classic. In addition to his role working for Future Stars Series, the New Jersey native currently serves as the beat writer of the Double-A New York Yankees affiliate, the Somerset Patriots, as well as national hockey writer and New York Jets game day beat reporter for The Trentonian. Ashmore has worked six Super Bowls, ten Stanley Cup Finals, the NBA Playoffs, College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Frozen Four, Daytona 500, major UFC events and much more as he approaches 3,000 games covered in his career.

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Latest posts by Mike Ashmore (see all)

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