Friday afternoon in Erwin, the Rocky Mount Midget (9-10) Tar Heel Little League All-Stars remained unbeaten beating Cleveland County 11-4. This sets up a showdown at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon with Lee County in the winner's bracket game. The winner of that game will be in the drivers seat as the loser will have to come through the loser's bracket to win the state championship.
Saturday afternoon, American Legion Post 58 starts the State Championship Tournament which is the last possible state title for most of the players on the team, But for most, 13 in all, they have a roster full of baseball players who have for some several state championships in baseball.
It all started in 2004 when the Nash County 14-year-old Babe Ruth team won the state championship. Two members of this year's legion team played on that team: Alex Pearce and Grant Johnson.
The World Series that year was in Wilson and the host city and host state get automatic berths. That put Wilson's team in and winning the state championship, Nash County got to skip the Southeast Regional and went straight to Wilson.
That year, Nash County lost in the semifinals to Hawaii. That amounts to third place in the world.
What a big year 2004 was for Nash County as at the same time the 14-year-olds were playing, 13-year-olds were winning their age group state title. They followed that up with a regional win in Tallahassee, Fl. The 13-year-old World Series was played in Van Buren, Ak. where they also lost in the semifinals to Tri-Valley, Cal.
Members of that team on this Legion squad were Ben Fish, Dillon Cockrell, Xavier Macklin, Tyler Clark, Cameron Ramsey, Mike Williams and Gabe Brown.
Keeping the Babe Ruth run going, that same group that made it to the World Series in Arkansas as 13-year-olds and won the 2005 state title in Rocky Mount. The Southeast regional was played in Greenville, Tenn. and then they were flown by jet to Boston to play in the 14-year-old World Series in Quincy, Mass.
That tournament was highlighted by the extra-inning semifinal game with the team that knocked it out the year before Tri-Valley. Our chances of winning the World championship were hurt greatly in the extra inning win as Travis Ward had to use Saturday's starter Dillon Cockrell in the extra inning just to win the semifinal game.
The championship game we were beaten 7-2 by Jefferson Parrish, La. to finish second in the World Series.
We are not through yet as in 2006, the next year's group of 14-year-olds made it back to the World Series and once again, it was played in Wilson. Being the host state, Nash County once again won the State title and was an automatic qualifier to the World Series.
That team had Collins Cuthrell, T.J. Taylor, Brandon Denton and Mike Smith, who lost in the championship game to Citrus Valley, Cal.
Four World Series in three years, but the state titles are not over as Rocky Mount High School took the NCHSAA 3-A title in 2008. Members of this legion team who played on the 2008 state champs were Fish, Cuthrell, Ramsey, Johnson, Cockrell, Brown and Nick Hahula.
The only two Legion players who have never tasted a state title are Bill Clark and Ray Valezquez.
Is there one more state title to share? The final ride for the most begins Saturday afternoon at ECU. If experience has any thing to do with it, this team is loaded .
See you Saturday at the game.
Dillon Cockrell : three State titles, two Southeast Regional Titles and World Series a 3rd and a 2nd. Ben Fish: Three State Titles, two Southeast Regional and World Series a 3rd and a 2nd.
Cameron Ramsey: Three State titles, Two Southeast Regional and World Series 3rd and 2nd.
Gabe Brown: Three State titles, Two Southeast Regional and World Series 3rd and 2nd.
Xavier Macklin: Two State Titles, Two Southeastern regional and World Series 3rd and 2nd.
Tyler Clark: Two State titles, two Southeast Regionals and World Series 3rd and 2nd.
Mike Williams: Two State Titles, Two Southeast Regional and World series 3rd and 2nd.
Grant Johnson : Two State titles and a 2nd in World series.
Collins Cuthrell: Two State Titles and a 2nd in World Series.
Alex Pearce: One State Title and a 3rd place in World Series
T.J. Taylor: One State Title and a 2nd in World Series.
Mike Smith: One State title and a 2nd in World Series.
Brandon Denton: One State Title and a 2nd in World Series.
All told, 22 state titles and 14 regional crowns are among them.
Oh, by the way, if Post 58 wins the state title, the Southeast Regional is in Sumter, S.C. The American Legion World Series is in Fargo, N.D.
Friday, July 24, 2009
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