Summer Slam
 New! The U.S.S.S.A. Summer Slam NIT, hosted by Capital City Sports, was held this past weekend (June 28-29) at several venues in the Lexington/West Columbia area. Junior Diamond Prospects was on site at two locations to bring you four featured games in the 13U and 14U divisions. Will Cheatham tells you what he saw in our Junior Diamond Recap. To view, click here.
Upstate AAA/Major
   New! The J.B. Owens Complex in Easley was the scene (June 28-29) as some of the top teams in the upstate locked up in quest of the U.S.S.S.A. South Carolina Upper State Championship. Junior Diamond Prospects had scouts on site to view games in the 11U, 12U and 14U divisions. We'll let you know all about the top teams and top performers in our Junior Diamond Recap from this past weekend. To view, click here.
Summer Challenge
 New! The Carolina Summer Challenge, hosted by Crystal Carolina Sports, was held this past weekend (June 28-29) in Gastonia, North Carolina. This team traveled from the Charleston area to participate in this tournament. JrDP was there and Craig Shipman will tell you how they did in their quest for the title in the 9U AA division in our Junior Diamond Recap. To view, click here.
Grand Slam Jam
 Junior Diamond Prospects scout Brett Bullard was on location in North Charleston this past Sunday for action in the 13U division of the North Charleston Grand Slam Jam, hosted by Lowcountry Baseball. Great baseball weather, a one run ball game, and some good ball park food made for an enjoyable day at the yard. We'll tell you a little about the four teams that battled it out in this Junior Diamond Recap. To view, click here.
June Fling Bling
 As soon as schools let out for the summer, vacationers flock to the Myrtle Beach area to take in the sun and fun of the Grand Strand. It's also an attractive area for travel baseball teams to schedule a tournament to play in. This past weekend the June Fling Bling, hosted by Baseball Dreams, was held in Murrells Inlet. Tim Corbin was on hand to bring you the action in this Junior Diamond Recap. To view, click here.
Peak Velocity
 New! Ever wonder what the average velocity is for a particular age? Check out the peak velocity of some of the pitchers we have seen perform in person. You can find it on the tool bar under Players/Player Evaluations/Pitcher Velocity or to view it now, click here. Check back often as we will be updating this information as it comes in from our area scouts.
Team Spotlight
 New! Coaches, want to have your team featured in the Junior Diamond Team Spotlight? You'll have the opportunity to share with our readers about your coaching philosophy, your team's accomplishments, be able to recognize your players individually, and much more. Junior Diamond Prospects wants to recognize your  team. Email Richard Edwards at
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and we'll let you know how to do it.
Tournaments
New! JrDP will continue to be your #1 source for baseball tournaments in the state. Check out Tournament Central for upcoming events. The next tournament(s) are ...
 Aiken, SC State Open Championships, July 4-6, Atomic City Sports...... Murrells Inlet, Independence Extravaganza, July 5-6, Baseball Dreams...... Rock Hill/Charlotte/Gastonia, East Coast Championships, July 4-6, Crystal Carolina Sports
U.S.S.S.A. rankings
 Find out if your team is in the top 5 in South Carolina according to U.S.S.S.A. For a quick view of the latest U.S.S.S.A. rankings, click here or look under "Teams" on the tool bar. We will update the rankings for all divisions in ages 9 through 14 on Wednesday of each week.
Photos
 Junior Diamond Prospects subscribers can now access our "Photo Gallery" (look under "Players" on home page). View photos of some of the top young prospects from around the state in game uniforms. We have over 180 players in our gallery now. During 2008, we will be adding more and more of the better players that we see. Plus, we'll add more photos of the players already featured here. To view, click here.
Subscribe Today!
 Junior Diamond Prospects is a subscription-based site. In order to bring you top-flight coverage across
South Carolina, JrDP is offering you a membership on a monthly or on an annual basis. Get all the insider information for just "pocket change" a day. Try a monthly subscription for only about 27 cents a day. Or better yet, take out an annual subscription for only about 14 cents a day. If you wish to subscribe, set up an account with Paypal first if you don't have one already, then return to JrDP, register (click on register under "Login Form" on left of home page) and connect the dots!
Baseball News
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Mariners, Yankees Land Key Prospects
One day after the beginning of the July 2 international signing period, Baseball America has learned of several of the signings.
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Tournament Of Stars Top 10
Ranking the top prospects at the Tournament of Stars.
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Prospect Hot Sheet Chat: July 3
Chatting about the midseason all-stars
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Prospect Hot Sheet: July 3
Tomorrow's Independence Day festivities would get in the way of our normally scheduled Prospect Hot Sheet, so a day early, we're rolling out this week's Hot Sheet. It's a little different than a normal Hot Sheet, as this is a look at our midseason all-stars. This is a ranking of which prospects have had the best first halves.
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New! U.S.S.S.A. Rankings now updated!
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New! July 4-6 Tournaments: Atomic City Sports will play host to 24 teams (ages 9U-14U) in the "SC State Open Championships" in Aiken. Junior Diamond Prospects will have a scout at this tournament. To view brackets, click here. Crystal Carolina Sports will play host to the "East Coast Championships" in Rock Hill/Charlotte/Gastonia. Junior Diamond Prospects will be on site in Rock Hill. To view brackets, click here. And Baseball Dreams will play host to 5 teams (age 10U) in the "Independence Extravaganza" in Murrells Inlet. JrDP will have a scout in attendance in Murrells Inlet. To view brackets, click here.
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 Who is looking for players? New! 10U Carolina Indians (Simpsonville/Mauldin), 10U Blue Ridge Tigers (Greenville/Greer), 11U Blue Ridge Tigers (Greer area), 11U Carolina Forest Storm (Myrtle Beach), 12U Hartsville Heat, 13U South Carolina Outlaws, 13U Carolina Dodgers, 14U Carolina Hurricanes & more. To view all, click here.
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Who is looking for a team? New! 11U IF/OF/P in Spartanburg/Greer area, New! 12U RHP/3B/OF in Anderson area, 12U RHP/OF in Lexington area, New! 13U/14U LHP/1B/OF in Spartanburg area, 13U/14U SS/P in Spartanburg area, 14U multi-positional player with pitching experience in Lexington area. To view all, click here.
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New! Fall Weekday League forming in Greenville area: Space is limited, register your team now for the upcoming Fall season. Contact us now to register your team or add your name to our contact list for dates and registration events. The league will be coach / player focused with development at the center of everything we do. Let us know what you need to better teach your players and we'll try to accomodate your needs. It will be the goal of Greenville Baseball to furnish you with the tools to help your ballplayers develop their talents. Partnerships with local training facilities, clinics by local coaches and training experts will add to your abilities to help your players. If you are tired of someone else telling you which players you can have or the political nightmare that goes along with other sports groups, Greenville Baseball may be the right fit for you. For more information, click here.
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Watch baseball, earn ca$h. JrDP Scouts needed! Do you consider your baseball background good enough to cover USSSA, AAU, Little League or Dixie Youth games? If so, we could use your help to write up contests in the 9-14 age groups across South Carolina, especially in the Rock Hill area, Midlands, Pee Dee and Lowcountry. Anyone interested in being an area scout for Junior Diamond Prospects - and being compensated - should contact Richard Edwards at
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Jonathan Hurst's Tips for Kids: Jonathan Hurst, pitching coach in the New York Mets organization and former player at Spartanburg High, Spartanburg Methodist College and in the Major Leagues, gives some pitching tips for young players in this Spartanburg Herald-Journal feature. To view, click here.
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 Clemson, Central to host Dixie Youth baseball tourney: Baseball enthusiasts, players and their families are expected to flood into Clemson and Central this summer for the 2008 Dixie Youth state baseball tournament. Julie Howle of the Greenville News reports on this July event. To read, click here.
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Northwood Little League's Birth: What began as a simple act of kindness, a favor to a patient, has evolved into enjoyment for thousands of kids. Bob Costello of the Greenville News takes you inside on how the "baseball farm system" for Eastside, Riverside and Wade Hampton High Schools got its start. To read, click here.
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 JrDP Scoreboard: In our continual efforts to improve the visibility of youth baseball in South Carolina, Junior Diamond Prospects is very excited to introduce the website's newest feature! In 2008, subscribers will have the ability to post game information on JrDP's Scoreboard for everyone to view...For more, click here. Or, to go to the scoreboard, click here.
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Polls: Tournament brackets are now up. Chime in on who you think will take home the top honors each weekend in our JrDP Polls. These can be found under the advertisement on the right side of each page.
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 Pre-Season Checklist: We want to provide every coach a complete checklist of fundamentals as his practices wind down and the new season peaks around the corner. While coaches statewide are putting the finishing touches on their preparation, it never hurts to have a reminder of something he may have overlooked. Austin Alexander gives our readers an extensive checklist of things each position player should be prepared for. To view, click here.
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 Advertise on JrDP: Looking for widespread visibility? Want to sponsor an upcoming Junior Diamond Prospects event? Your business could possibly prosper from our rapidly growing exposure. For more information, click here.
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Prospects Pitching in for Youth Baseball: Sometime in the near future, any of a few dozen young baseball players might read a baseball boxscore and see the name of a guy who helped them learn to pitch. To view this article from the Charleston Post & Courier, click here.
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Does your team/organization have a web site? Email your link to
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and we will put it on our team page. To view "Team Links", look under Teams on the front page or click here.
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 Looking at the statistics: We decided to take a look back at the first Junior Diamond Prospects Evaluation Clinic held at Riverside High School back in December and analyze some of the things that can be measured with a radar gun and a stop watch. Richard Edwards takes a look at the numbers and what they may or may not tell you. To view, click here.
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Little League Refines Baseball Pitching Rules for 2008: Following up on the ground breaking first season in which a mandatory pitch count was used in all baseball divisions of Little League, the rules and regulations for 2008 have been refined. For more info, click here.
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 Looking for players or a team in 2008? Are you looking for a player for the 2008 season? Are you looking for a team to play with? Maybe Junior DP can help. Send us what you are looking for and we will publish it. Please include city team is based out of or area that you live in, age group of the team or player for the 2008 spring season, and contact information (email address and/or phone number). Also, if your local league is having registrations soon, send us that information and we will publish it as well. Email Richard Edwards at
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 JrDP Spotlights: We've featured many talented players over the past several weeks, and we plan to bring you more and more spotlights as we move through the spring/summer season. In this Junior Diamond Prospects feature, our subscribers will learn more about who the better players are, what they like about the game, what they like to do off the playing field, and more. Stay tuned!
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After the Showcase, what do I do next? The Evaluation/Clinic Showcase and the Christmas holidays are behind you. So, what do you do now to prepare yourself for the upcoming season? Nick Nickles touches on some things you can do on a routine basis to become a better baseball player. To view, click here.
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JrDP Event a Grand Slam! An unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon, a fantastic camp staff, a great facility and an abundance of young talent made the first ever JrDP event a smashing success! In fact, 130 players were on hand at Riverside High School and many of them made quite an impression. For more, click here. (Above, USC's Monte Lee and Arizona Diamondbacks' Jeff Young during a hitting lecture)
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Want to be on JrDP's mailing list? Junior Diamond Prospects is in the planning stages for showcases and clinics this spring/summer. We need your help to make these events a reality! Travel coaches/managers: Please email a list of mailing addresses of your team to
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, individuals may send in their mailing address as well.
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 Upstate Lessons: Hitting, catching and/or infield lessons are presently being conducted in the Greenville area by Jeff Young (left), a professional hitting, catching and infield instructor. For contact information, click here.
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JrDP Quote of the Week: "I'm never satisfied. I can't stand satisfaction. To me, greatness comes from that quest for perfection." Mike Schmidt
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