FARMINGTON – Coming off a string of dominating efforts, both at the plate and on the mound, the NOLA Cardinals, from New Orleans, have advanced to this month’s Connie Mack World Series after winning a regional qualifying event last weekend in New Orleans.
Coached by Danny Riehm, the Cardinals went 5-0 last week in the regional qualifier, outscoring its opponents by a combined margin of 24-2, culminating with a 2-0 shutout win in a Saturday afternoon championship-round contest over the NOLA Scout squad.
The Cardinals become the latest team from the state of Louisiana to make the CMWS. Last year, the Elite Squad Gulf South team reached the World Series, ending a five-year stretch in which the state wasn’t represented in the prestigious event, which opens at Ricketts Park on July 21. In the 60-plus year history of the CMWS, no team from the state of Louisiana has won the title.
“It’s the biggest World Series for amateur baseball with thousands of people in the stands every night,” Riehm said. “It’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
The Cardinals pitching was dominant throughout much of the regional qualifier, with starter Landon Cortez throwing a one-hit shutout in the title game. Cortez struck out nine batters in the win, surrendering only two walks.
Cortez, from Hahnville High School in Boutte, Louisiana also earned a win over the Texas Raiders in the second round of the regional event. In all, he threw 11 innings and struck out 17 batters, allowing just two hits in the process.
The Cardinals reached the finals in the regional qualifier by beating the Marucci Midwest Colorado squad by a final of 6-2. The duo of Brady Schmidt and Carson Ellis combined to strike out 13 batters while allowing six hits and only one walk.
“We had solid starting pitching and good guys coming out of the bullpen,” Riehm said. “We only allowed two runs against some very good competition. It was perfect that we did not have to go to the ‘if necessary’ game. Cortez was outstanding.”
Offensively, the Cardinals have relied on the bats of Tanner Hornback and Peyton Woods throughout much of the regional tournament.
Hornback is batting .276 during the summer season for the Cardinals, but leads the team with 21 runs scored and six stolen bases. Woods, the team leader in drawing walks, also leads the squad with 18 runs batted in and a batting average of .380 this summer.
“We did a good job of getting two-out hits,” Riehm said. “We were able to do it multiple times in the tournament.”
The Cardinals join a rapidly growing list of teams which have stamped their ticket to the Connie Mack World Series. In addition to automatic qualifiers like the D-Bat United out of Dallas, the Southern California Renegades, the Dulin Dodgers, the defending champion Midland (OH) Redskins as well as the local host team, the CMWS also will be represented by several teams which earned a berth through regional qualifiers.
The Albuquerque Baseball Academy, the Dallas Tigers, the Mississauga (ON) Tigers and the Sandlot Cubs from Oklahoma all won their regional qualifying tournaments in order to capture one of the most prestigious prizes in amateur baseball.
The Cardinals will stay busy preparing for the Connie Mack World Series before making the trip to Farmington later this month. For Riehm, the goal is to stay consistent and healthy heading into the tournament.
“We really don’t get rattled. We’re out there to play the game. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is,” Riehm said. “We have a group of guys that fight really hard. Whenever you take a Louisiana team to a national event, you’re always in the mix. We expect this to be no different. We’re not going to be happy just making the trip. We want to go to it and win it.”
In addition to the local qualifying tournament, from which the host team will be decided, there are two more regional qualifying tournaments to help fill out the field of teams. The 2023 Firecracker Classic opened earlier this week in Irvine, California with an eight-team bracket. Later this week, the final regional qualifying tournament will open in Enid, Oklahoma with a 28-team bracket which includes the 2021 CMWS champion Enid Majors.
For more information on teams, schedules and rosters for the Connie Mack World Series, visit CMWS.org.
