The Washington 14U All-Stars’ postseason run will continue today as the team heads up to Glen Allen, Va. for the start of the Babe Ruth Southeast Regional tournament.
Guided by head coach Brad Horton, the All-Stars have shined bright this summer as they won the District 6 title in Belhaven before piecing together a perfect 6-0 record at the ENC State tourney last week in Washington to punch their ticket to the regional.
Washington Girls Fastpitch Softball League president Greg Dority said the team is thrilled to be able to keep playing ball.
“The girls are ecstatic,” Dority said. “They’ve worked a number of years for this opportunity. … The southeast regional is considered one of the toughest in the country and the girls are fired up and excited.”
There is no World Series in the 14U age division, which makes the southeast regional the final stop for the All-Stars, who will begin pool play today at 10 a.m. against Mt. Dora (Florida) before playing Summit Point (West Virginia) at 2 p.m.
“This is a tough division to find ourselves in against two state champions,” Dority said.  “We saw Mt. Dora last year at the regional and they bring a lot of speed to the table like most Florida teams do. They are very aggressive on the bases.
“Summit Point is a veteran squad made up primarily of the Tsunami travel ball team.  They play up in travel ball and have what is considered a strong hitting team in West Virginia.”
The All-Stars have a strong hitting team themselves as their lineup features sluggers like Hailey Harris, Meghan Moore, Jordan Pierce, Rachel Lang and Kaitlyn Ivey, who anchor a balanced lineup that can strike anywhere from the top to the bottom of the order.
“During travel ball tournaments Coach Horton will sometimes pick lineups out of a hat and the reason is he wants to give every girl an opportunity to bat leadoff or to bat cleanup so they all have experience in difficult situations,” Dority said. “Sarah Lynch came up big twice driving in the winning runs (during the state tournament). Haley Witham has been strong, her triple in their first bracket game was the difference. Then you look at girls like Meghan Horton who has taken her defensive play to another level in the tournament but also came up with big base hits in the championship game.
“Chaleigh Baynor has a history of coming up big in big games … Every girl on the team has contributed. Everybody has pulled together and that team unity has been a strength.”
The All-Stars added another piece to the puzzle as Sydney Keech joined the team and will make the trip to Virginia.
“A late roster adjustment has led to Sydney Keech joining the team,” Dority said. “Sydney played up on 16U this year and did a great job behind the plate and can play about anywhere on the field.”
Another strength of the All-Stars comes on the mound as Lang and Harris have been spectacular this summer, while the All-Stars team defense has been nearly flawless.