Years from now when JP and I look back on the 11U State Championship, when his championship trophy and his all tournament trophy are gathering dust on a bookshelf in his room while he's off at college somewhere, I want to be able to look back and recall some details about each player on the roster, what he brought to the team during the run to the title and particular moments that stand out now from the State Tournament.
- Aiden "AP" Pennington. Also known as "Coffee Break," a nickname he earned in my absence at the District Tournament (which the WNSL Dodgers also won buy sweeping the WNSL Dirtbags on Sunday). Consummate leadoff hitter. Left fielder extraordinaire. In the Lawrenceburg semifinal game, which we won 11-10, he made three or four huge catches in left field. Funny kid. Always smiling.
- Robbie Doll. Centerfielder. Likely the fastest player in the tournament. Perfect number two hitter. He can flat out go get it in centerfield. Big arm. Almost through a kid out at first base on a single on Sunday against Giles County. Pitched a little in game one Friday night against Giles County, but struggled. All Tournament selection.
- Taylor Hasselback. Pitcher. Shortstop. One of the best athletes on the team. Pitched his butt off in the most important game of the tournament - Lawrenceburg in the semifinal on Saturday. 84 pitches, right at the limit for the day. Almost always scored when he got on base, which he almost always managed to do, one way or another. All Tournament selection.
- Wes Taylor. First base and extra hitter. Swings a big bat. Strong. Hit a home run at Donelson against a 12U team in a scrimmage game in early June. Really starting pulling the baseball in the postseason, especially in the State Tournament. Our tallest player. I still laugh when I think about him pushing the sleeves up on his jersey when he bats, like a beer league softball player. Original Dodger.
- Benton Wright. Pitcher, right fielder and extra hitter. The closer. Señor Smoke. When he's on - and he's usually on - throws harder than anyone on the team. A little sidearmed and for that reason, intimidating for batters to face because of how hard he throws. He was huge on Saturday against Lawrenceburg when Taylor ran out of pitches. Finished the 5th inning and pitched the 6th inning to get the save. Streak hitter. Probably hits the ball harder than anyone except maybe Cullen. Also starting pulling the baseball in the postseason. Original Dodger.
- Cullen Womble. First base, third base, right field and pitcher. Also known as (by me, anyway) "the Baby Rhino" and "Thunder." Our biggest, meanest player. An intimidator, for sure. One of the team leaders. Not the fastest but by far, in my view, the best baserunner. Steals bases on the pitcher, always makes the correct base running play. Incredible base running mind. Our only left-handed pitcher. Toughness personified. Pitched a gutsy complete game to beat the Dirtbags to win the District Championship.
- Porter Weeks. Big game player. Money pitcher. Probably our most consistent starting pitcher. Throws strikes, keeps the ball low and away. Better control overall than our other pitchers. Hits the ball hard. Dead pull hitter. He's the first person I've seen pull a ball so much that he hit it in front of the on deck batter. That actually happened. Best listener I've ever coached. Original Dodger, though he joined when the boys were six years old and I moved them up to machine pitch one fall. We saved him for the title game on Sunday against Giles County and he delivered, big time. Seven strikeouts in four innings. Also had two hits, including a double. All Tournament selection.
- Aiden Nick. Coach Jonathan's son. Great, funny kid. Rubber armed pitcher. Probably has the best balance and form of any pitcher even though he doesn't throw it as hard as some of the other boys. Tough. He pitched game two Friday night against Livingston and took a hard line drive off his thigh. Scary play, especially when fell to the ground. He got back up and pitcher his way out of the inning. Otherwise, played second base. Good range. Good contact hitter.
- Matthew Moore. Our MVP. The best 11 year old catcher I have ever seen. Almost nothing gets by him. Good arm. Smartest player I've ever coached. Instinctive. Sneaky sense of humor. Quiet, calming presence. Leader. The other boys respected him, although he isn't a vocal leader. Does everything the right way. Coachable. Great listener. Smart baserunner. Good hitter. A winner. Future astronaut, or surgeon or President of the United States. All Tournament selection.
- Ethan Deerkoski. One of my all time favorite kids. Played with us in all-stars last year. Competitive. Emotional. Would cut his arm off to win at anything from baseball to basketball to ping pong. I identify with him, because he reminds me of me at age 11. Played mostly third base. In what may be my favorite State Tournament moment, I put him in to pitch in relief of Robbie (who relieved J.P.) in game one Friday night against Giles County and he was a revelation. In spite of the fact he hadn't pitched all postseason, he threw nothing but gas and nothing but strikes. He held Giles County down int he top of the 6th inning, so we could rally in the bottom of the 6th inning with four runs for the win. Pitched again in game two Friday night in relief of Aiden Nick and again threw strikes and more gas. The Fireman. Got hot at the plate on Saturday and Sunday, too. Great tournament for him because he waited his turn, was a good teammate and capitalized when he got the opportunity.
- J.P. Newman. Newski. By far, the most versatile player on the team. In the State Tournament, he played shortstop, third base, second base, left field, right field and pitcher. Had timely hits and drove in six runs for the tournament but needs to be more selective at the plate. Only walked once or twice. He made the final out of the game against Livingston playing third base by fielding a ground ball hit right down the third base line and throwing the ball across the diamond to first base, nipping the runner by a half step. Big time play. Big time player. Smart. Good instincts. In the biggest game of the State Tournament - Lawrenceburg - he had two hits from the 10 hole, including what should have been a double into the gap in left center field. He slid under the tag at second but the umpire - Kevin ( a centerfielder who was coached a lifetime ago by my friend, Chris Sockwell, on a team from Lawrenceburg that won the Little League State Tournament in Johnson City, TN). All Tournament selection.
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