When he stepped onto the mound during the middle of a pool play game against Shallowater this past Saturday at Tascosa High School, Bushland hurler Connor Caperton was told one thing by his West Texas Sevens coach, Isaac D’Agostino.
Throw as hard as he can.
Leading up to the Five Tool Texas Amarillo/Canyon Showdown, which took place last weekend at various locations in Amarillo and at Wilder Park in Canyon, Caperton aimed to consistently hit the 90 mph threshold. A little more speed, he theorizes, will get him scouted by several Major League Baseball organizations.
Caperton understands how to get there.
“I want to get stronger in the weight room, and then, I want to be more accurate while throwing 90,” he said.
The summer baseball tournament allowed Caperton that opportunity, as he represented the West Texas Sevens 18U team over the four-day slate. The weekend didn’t go as intended, however, as the Sevens finished 1-3 in pool play.
When the dust settled, it was Shallowater who collected a championship banner, as the Mustangs defeated the Amarillo Baseball Academy Titans via a 10-4 decision on Sunday at Tascosa’s Rebel Field. Starting pitcher Landon Freitag tossed a complete game, as the Mustangs dialed up four runs in the top of the third to pull away from the Titans.
Earlier in the day, Shally punched its ticket by defeating the Texas Gators (Lubbock) with a 13-5 final score.
“We have a great team,” said Russell Jephcott, Shallowater’s head coach. “We’re a true high school team, and we’re setting the kids up for success next year. We had a few (players) on vacation, so we picked up a couple of extra kids from the Lubbock area. These guys came together as a family, and just competed every pitch. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The Mustangs avenged a 15-5 loss to the Titans, which was sustained in the final game of Pool C play, which took place on Saturday. The two teams both advanced into the championship bracket, and would later meet on a sweltering Sunday afternoon.
In the 16U/15U Division, two champions were crowned — both of which were based in Amarillo.
The National Division title game witnessed the ABA Titans contingent guided by head coach Jarvis Smith, claim a 4-1 victory over the Off Speed Athletics squad mentored by Brandon Rains. Jaime Boyd’s Off Speed Athletics side took the American Division championship by taking down Roger King’s ABA Titans squad with a 10-5 outcome.
Along with Rebel Field and Wilder Park on the campus of West Texas A&M University, the Five Tool Texas Amarillo/Canyon Showdown was held at Sandie Field within John Stiff Park, the CHS Baseball Field at Caprock High School.
Overall, 25 teams took part in the Showdown.
There were 14 teams in the 15U/16U Division, with 11 of the 14 hailing from either Amarillo or Lubbock. One came up from Plainview, another from Friona and the lone out-of-state squad came over from Tijeras, New Mexico located just outside of Albuquerque.
Eight of the 11 teams within the 17U/18U Division were from either Amarillo or Lubbock. Shallowater, ITL Baseball of Hereford and COBSBL Demons (Golden, Colorado) were the other three squads at the Showdown.
The need for speed
Over the course of the 2025 spring season, Bushland pitcher Connor Caperton had a few goals in mind.
First, Caperton wanted to reach a 90 mph pitching speed. Second, it was to hit 90 on a consistent basis and do so accurately. Then, it’s to push himself to throw 95 mph.
Connor made two appearances on the hump for the West Texas Sevens, going for a little more than one inning against the Texas Gators on July 3 and tossing another inning against Shallowater on Saturday.
On both occasions, Caperton threw some gas, clocking in the mid to high 80s. Within the nightcap of the Showdown’s first day, Connor acquired two strikeouts.
“Playing summer baseball helps,” Caperton said. “It allows me to pitch under stress, which helps in getting looked at by the big colleges. I have people here who believe in me, and my coach hasn’t lost faith in me yet. It really motivates me to go out there, throw harder and throw strikes.”
Caperton was also productive at the dish, highlighted by a double and scored a run during a 15-5 setback against Shallowater on Saturday.
“It really helps when I can play multiple positions and hit from the box,” Connor said. “I’ll do anything to help my team.”
Shally’s satisfying ending
Heading into the four-day tournament, the Shallowater baseball team had redemption in mind.
This past spring, the Mustangs put together a stellar 30-9 overall record with an 11-1 mark within Class 3A-Division 1, District 2. Shallowater pushed into the regional semifinals before bowing out of the postseason in a three-game series with Holliday.
In the summertime stretch, the Mustangs were unable to break through pool play. Then, in Amarillo, everything clicked.
By going 3-1 in pool play — with a 9-1 victory over Marucci Elite (Lubbock) on Thursday, a 9-6 win over ITL Baseball (Hereford) on Friday and a triumph over the West Texas Sevens (15-5) on Saturday before dropping a 15-5 game against the ABA Titans later in the day — the Mustangs moved to the championship bracket.
After handling the Texas Gators (Lubbock) with a favorable 13-5 decision, the Mustangs relied on strong defense and timely hits to defeat the Titans with a 10-4 championship victory.
In the title game, pitcher Landon Freitag tossed a complete game and kept the potent Titans in check all throughout. Second baseman Gavin Guajardo, one of two Lubbock players picked up by the Mustangs, consistently reeled in groundouts and served as a proverbial brick wall.
According to Jephcott, Freitag and Guajardo’s efforts were “unbelievable.”
“(Freitag) had control on everything,” Jephcott said of his pitcher’s performance. “He kept (ABA Titans) off speed. Going into the last inning, he was at 86 pitches and we were considering bringing in our closer. He looked at me and said ‘If I’m in my legs, I’m good. Let me have it.’ I said, ‘hey, cheers.’ He took charge from there.”
“All weekend, (Guajardo) played multiple positions,” Jephcott added. “He caught, played first, played third and produced at the plate. He was just great, all around.”
According to Freitag, he knew he had backup.
“I just trusted the seven guys behind me and the one behind the plate,” Freitag said. “I knew they had what it took. I just threw strikes and let them do their job.”
Despite ending the weekend with a setback, it wasn’t a bad weekend for the ABA Titans.
The 18U squad representing the Amarillo Baseball Academy shut out ITL Baseball via a 5-0 score on Thursday, before dropping a 14-9 contest against WTTB Wow Factor (Lubbock) on Friday. The Titans bounced back with a 10-5 win over Marucci Elite Texas on Saturday, before defeating Shallowater 15-5 in their nightcap.
To get to the championship, the Titans blanked the PTG Royals (Lubbock) with a 10-0 result.
According to Trent Mulherin, who coached the Titans in the contest and usually coaches the 15U squad, the team gave its all up until the bitter end.
“If we didn’t have four errors, the championship game would have been a little different,” Mulherin said. “The boys came out and played hard, despite the heat. We just came up short. But I’m proud of how they played all weekend.”
Mulherin noted the performances of West Plains graduate Bryton Bertrand, who is bound for Temple College in Temple, Texas. He also acknowledged fellow West Plains grad Ethan Bentley, who will join WT this fall.
While the Titans will head over to Oklahoma City this weekend, the Mustangs closed shop on their summer season.
“We’re going to call it,” Jephcott said. “Every one of the kids play football, and their bodies need time to regroup. We have a few that are going to play for Team Texas here in a few weeks in Oklahoma, but we’re going to call it a summer and get ready for football.”
The importance of summertime baseball
Even with the Showdown concluded, many student-athletes will continue the club portion of their sports year.
The West Texas Sevens will head down to Fort Worth this weekend, and they will wrap up the summer slate with a trip to Denver. According to Caperton, it’s more chances to reach those goals.
“(Summer baseball) is super beneficial,” said Caperton. “It lets you hone in on your skills. Even if you’re a senior or if you just graduated, you’re still getting reps before you go to college. Then, most of us will play fall ball. It’s about getting ready to play all year round.”
In Shallowater, it’s a chance to give players some additional playing time.
“We had 14 seniors who graduated,” Jephcott said. “So, we’re trying to develop the incoming seniors and incoming juniors, get them meshed and blend them into what we had this past year. We want to get back to the regional semifinals with this team. And they’ve really come together. We’re seeing great strides. They’re a family now.”
To Freitag and his fellow players, it’s an opportunity to take it easy and enjoy playing baseball with friends.
“It’s nice to relax and just have fun,” said Freitag. “It’s great to have fun with your friends and play the game that you love. Also, it’s all about getting ready for next year.”
According to Mulherin, his players get to see a variety of teams and players.
“Summer ball goes a long way,” Mulherin said. “We get to coach the kids and the kids get growth. The play of it all is totally different than what we see in the Texas Panhandle. It’s really good for the kids, and they get to face good pitching, good hitting, and just about everything else.”