The all-stars baseball tournament is ready to swing into action today as the Washington 8U, 10U, 11U and 12U teams will head to Jamesville to play in the Little Tar Heel League District 6 tournament in Jamesville, while the Washington 9U All-Stars will travel to Winterville on July 12 for the Cal Ripken state tournament.
This time of year can be hectic for parents and coaches alike and Washington Cal Ripken League/Little Tar Heel League president Chip Edwards wanted to thank all those involved for their effort before the tournaments begin.
“I wanted to express my appreciation to all of the all-stars coaches and assistant coaches and the parents for the time and effort they put in to not only helping with the kids, but helping with the tournaments and the fields,” Edwards said.
Edwards, who coaches the 8U All-Stars team, said he is expecting his squad to give a strong effort.
“I expect good things from them and think they can be very competitive,” Edwards said. “We’re not a travel ball team and we’ll face a number of travel ball teams in the 10-team district tournament that have played together for much longer than we have so we come in at a bit of disadvantage.”
That aside, Edwards feels his team can compete if it plays up to its abilities.
“The eight-year olds have a very good infield and a bunch of kids that can hit the ball very well,” Edwards said. “If we are on our game we can beat anybody. They’re a pretty well put together group. A lot of them are really good friends and go to church together so they get along really well.”
After a gutsy effort in the District 6 tournament, coach Dunker Keech and the Washington 9U All-Stars will look to build on that moment when they begin the state tournament in Winterville on July 12.
“The biggest thing with that 9-year old team is that they have a bunch of heart,” Edwards said. “They have a lot of passion for the game and they have some very good talent. All they really need to do is spend some more time together and I think they’ll do great.”
Edwards said the strength of the 9U team lies in its athleticism.
“They have a bunch of great athletes,” Edwards said. “They’re not just good baseball players but very good athletes that are all-stars in football and soccer and other sports.”
The Washington 10U team, coached by Michael Craig, is also very athletic and Edwards felt it can make some noise come tourney time.
“This is a team I expect quite a bit of,” Edwards said. “They have played together for three years now and they’ve played some travel ball together as well.
“They have some dynamic pitching. Logan Hale, Ryan Woolard and a few others can really throw the baseball. Then, they have some consistancy up the middle with guys Cameron Craig and Seth Davis and they have a centerfielder who has one of the strongest arms on a 10-year old that I’ve ever seen in Paul Skirko. Plus, they all hit the ball very well.”
The 11-year old All-Stars coached by Ricky Peed face a bit of an uphill battle as they will compete in the 12U bracket, but they have the potential to give a quality showing.
“They’ll be at a disadvantage in that they are playing in a 12-and-under all-star tournament,” Edwards said. “But, I still think that they will be competitive. They have some good pitching and some good speed and some good coaches.”
The Washington 12U All-Stars, who are coached by Greg Crisp, will be competing in the same bracket and will rely on its balanced attack.
“The 12-year olds have some good talent,” Edwards said. “They have some good pitching in Tyler Harrell, he throws the ball well. I expect them to be competitive in that group. … They’re more of an all-around team. They’re not dynamic in one area but they’re solid in all areas.”