Capitol Classic begins today

For some Carson Capitols players, the future still holds a bit of uncertainty. Recently graduated seniors like Kenny Heald and Joe Mercer are still deciding on which school to attend next fall. Others, who are still in high school and even junior college, want to impress pro scouts and college coaches so they can have choices like Heald and Mercer next summer, too.

The 22nd annual Capitol Classic Invitational Tournament starts today and will feature teams from 11 states. And for the players participating in the tournament, they'll get a chance to impress dozens of scouts and college coaches who will be scouring the 12-team field throughout the week.

"I'm excited to play because there will be a lot of coaches and scouts watching the games," said Mercer, who is deciding between Consumnes River and American River, both junior colleges in the Sacramento area.

The tournament is split into two six-team brackets, the Red and Grey divisions. Each team will play every team in their brackets in a round robin format. The winners of the two divisions will then square off in Sunday night's championship game. Games will be played on two fields at Carson High School.

The Capitols will play in the Red division against Danville, Calif., Honolulu, Hawaii, Ogden, Utah, St. Louis, Mo., and Woodward, Okla.

The Grey division includes Austin, Texas, Boise, Idaho, Carmel, Ind., Cherry Creek, Colo., Parma, Ohio, and Santa Rosa, Calif.

"This tournament coming up is probably one of the best tournaments on the West Coast and it's just loaded with talent," said McNutt, who will try and win the tournament for the first time since 1993. "It's as good as any state, regional, or World Series you can go to."

Besides outstanding teams, the tournament will boast some exceptional players, some of whom have already been drafted and are waiting to sign pro contracts, according to McNutt.

Brandon League, a 17-year-old pitcher who plays for Honolulu, Hawaii, is ranked as one of the top five high school pitchers in the nation, according to McNutt.

The Capitols face Honolulu, Hawaii Tuesday at 5 p.m. and McNutt isn't sure if his team will face League but would he want to?

"I didn't say that, now," McNutt said with a laugh.

Another player to watch is the Capitols' Dustin Pedroia, who will be a senior next year at Woodland High School in Woodland, Calif. He will be a top prospect next fall, according to the Sacramento Bee, and was named to its first team all-city baseball team for the second consecutive year.

"He's an outstanding player and he has a lot of power," said McNutt about Pedroia, who despite his smaller stature, leads the team with 12 home runs.

Pedroia was also just recently named to the Cal-Hi Sports All-State underclassmen team.

The Capitols' Joe Jacobitz, Steve Evans of Parma, Ohio, and League are all returning members of the 1999 Capitol Classic All-Tournament Team.

The Capitol's finished second in last year's tournament after losing 11-2 to Central Valley, Calif., in the championship game. It was their first appearance in the championship game since 1995.