On Friday, July 19, 2024 – the first night of the 2024 PGF Nationals – the event organizations held the Coaches Dinner for the Week 1 participants, the 18U and 16U age divisions.

Garrett Hay, the CTO & Head of Production for the Huntington Beach-based company, announced that this year’s event would kick off the awarding of a new trophy called “The Bucket.”

Hay explained that it is similar to how the NHL awards The Stanley Cup each year on-site to the hockey champion and is kept through the year until the next championship tournament.

“The Bucket” will annually be “white gloved” in its delivery to where the winning 18U Premier organization wants to host it and proudly show it off.

Rocky Thompson’s Birmingham Thunderbolts secured his org will have it in 2024-25 after his 18U Bolts team secured a 7-2 victory over an excellent Athletics – Mercado team.

*** Click HERE to see my interview with Coach Rock after this year’s title win. 

Thompson, a three-time national championship coach, told me as of today (Saturday Aug. 10, 2024), the trophy has not yet been delivered but the Bolts do have a place in mind where it will be prominently displayed soon.

Here’s my interview with Garrett Hay which took place a few days before the championship finale was played…

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball