Future Stars Series National Combine kicked off on Sunday
July 19, 2020 at 6:46 PM CDT - Updated July 20 at 6:02 PM
LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Throughout the past few weeks, tremendous youth baseball talent has been right here in Southwest Louisiana thanks to the Future Stars series national tournament and this weekend that continued with the National combine.
2020 may be the first year of The Future Stars National Combine, but the showcase is on year four of grooming baseball players. The events are filled with elite youth baseball talent across the U.S. During the 2019 MLB Draft, nine players that competed in the tournaments were selected, with three going in the first round.
With the addition of the national combine this year, it gives players a better chance to get noticed.
"Many players that you don't know about today, you will know about three days from now. You will know the next draft," founder and CEO, Jeremy Booth said. "They will pass a lot of the guys that you do know and I'm not afraid to say that."
29 of the 30 Major League teams will have eyes on this four-day event. Three players from Southwest Louisiana were invited to compete in Rosepine's Ethan Frey and Barbe's Jack Walker and Gavin Guidry. All of them are excited about the opportunity in their back yard.
"I am completely blessed for everything that my parents have helped me do. Seeing where I have come from to where I am now and just realizing how I have such good people around me and to be able to compete. It's an honor," Rosepine catcher and LSU commit Ethan Frey said.
"It's definitely different. This is the only event that I have ever seen in this area," Barbe pitcher Gavin Guidry said. "This is the only event that has been in this area. It's cool that these big-time guys coming in."
Having the chance to showcase your skills at the combine is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so they understand the pressure to perform.
"Just to know that I got the chance to see the best players around the nation and that I am able to see how I compare to the rest of them, is awesome. I just need to see what I need to do to get better from there on," Frey said.
"There's going to be a lot of big-time players at this thing. I want to pitch against the best of them," Barbe pitcher Jack Walker said.
And sometimes, an event like this can make your dreams come true sooner than you were expecting.
"100% I want to make it," Frey said.
"I want to pitch in the pros. Whether that is through high school or college. I am going to be there one day," Walker said.
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