Valentine's All-American Team Selects Harrison Ace

On Saturday Harrison's Max Bruckner will begin a summer that most young baseball players can only dream of.

The junior pitcher will board a bus and travel the country as a member of the Bobby Valentine All-American Team, playing in tournaments in front of college and professional scouts with a team of elite players from across the country.

"It's going to be a good experience, I hope," said Bruckner, who joins Fox Lane middle infielder Richard Slenker as the only represntatives from Westchester on the team. "It's going to help me focus more."

The Bobby Valentine Team consists of 33 players from 17 different states. More than 1,000 players tried out for the team at 20 different locations from coast to coast. Bruckner tried out at a facility in Stamford, CT. last fall.

"I really had no idea what to expect," said Bruckner. "I was a little nervous but I was invited back to a second one."

The second and final tryout consisted of only the top 15 or so players from the original group. Bruckner was asked to run a 60-meter dash, take some ground balls at first base and throw a bullpen.

He waited until this spring to hear back from the coaches. About a month ago he received an e-mail letting him know that he had made the cut.

"I was really excited," Bruckner said. "I was having dinner with my mom when I found out, it was really an exciting moment."

The Bobby Valentine Team, named after the former Mets manager and current ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine, is a showcase team geared toward getting top players exposure in front of college and professional scouts to enhance their baseball careers. The summer schedule simulates a minor league baseball experience, as players live and travel together for 48 days.

Tournaments are scheduled from South Carolina to California, giving players a chance to play in front of a variety of professional and college scouts. Coaches from SEC and PAC 12 teams are scheduled to attend games along the way, giving Bruckner the chance to showcase his skills in front of some of the best college baseball programs in the country.

"The level of competition is really what I'm looking forward to," said Bruckner. "I'm going to be a little homesick, but it will be nice."

Elite coaches from programs across the country have been selected to work with players on the team. Valentine himself even makes an effort to work with the players. Bruckner said he hopes to return to Harrison an even better pitcher after spending an entire summer enjoying this unique opportunity.

"It's going to help me focus more," he said. "When I used to play in the summer I always either have a job or will be with my friends and have other distractions, but now I can just really focus on baseball."

This summer's schedule:

• University of South Carolina 18U Tournament (June 21-22)
• Coastal Carolina 19U Firecracker Tournament June 23-26)
• World Wood Bat East Cobb 18U (July 2 - 8)
• World Wood Bat East Cobb 17U (July 9 - 15)
• TCU/Bobby Valentine SW Championship 18U (July 21-24)
• Phil Singer Summer Series 18U (August 5)