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LITTLE PLAYERSBIG GAMES

THE PLANT CITY LITTLE LEAGUE ALL-STARS ISSUE

The boys and girls of Plant City Little League have played hard all season long, and it’s time to honor the best of the best.

Many of these All-Stars have done big things in 2014. Whether it was something as simple as making lots of great plays in Plant City action or playing well in travel tournaments, it’s safe to say all of these kids are going to walk away from this season with good memories and, maybe, some new hardware.

Although some of the players are different, Plant City fans have high

hopes for the All-Star squads: six of these eight teams are coming off of 2013 District 4 Championship wins.

But, whether they win or lose, the most important thing is for every-one to have fun and play for the love of the game.

In this issue, you’ll find whatever you need to know about these All-Star teams: rosters, depth charts, projections and even some fun an-ecdotes from the players and coach-es.

And, to the teams themselves: Good luck — and play ball!

Last year’s 9-10 All-Star baseball team won the District 4 Championship tournament, and this year’s crop of talented young ballplayers was big enough for two squads at that age group. So, Plant City Little League will trot out the A and B teams for tournament play.

The A Team will be managed by Jeff Conyers, who believes that his squad is well-balanced and primed to make some noise.

“The expectations are high,” Conyers says. “Pitching is the name of the game at this age, and we’ve got a ton of pitching, I believe. I’m very ex-cited. I’ve got some really good assistant coaches helping me, so I’ve got high expectations.

“Just about every kid on this team can pitch and pitch pretty well,” he says, “At this age, pitching’s everything. And, we have a real solid defense. We’re very well-rounded. We’ve got some guys who can really crush the ball. We’ve got several standout players, but there’s not much drop-off from players one through 12.”

The A Team and B Team will both begin tourna-ment play on June 23, at Little League of Poinci-ana, 4051 Laurel Ave.

9-10 BASEBALL (A) ROSTERStarting Pitcher (SP): Anthony LugoFirst Base (1B): Kaden PalmerSecond Base (2B): Hunter SmithShortstop (SS): Joshua HerringThird Base (3B): Ty Gould; James BrownCatcher (C): Jace StinesLeft Field (LF): Rhet ConyersCenter Field (CF): Ethan Pues; Alex MachadoRight Field (RF): Jacob DealManager: Jeff ConyersNot Pictured: Carver Wineinger

The other group of 9-10 All-Stars, the B Team, doesn’t claim to be quite as solid across the board as the A Team. It does, however, know what it does well, and the coaching staff already knows exactly how the team can win games.

All that manager Keith Hicks has to determine is who will play what defensive position, and the B Team will be ready for action.

“We’re going to be pretty good,” Hicks says. “Right now, we’re kind of going through practices and see-ing what positions will be best for each kid.

“We’ve got a lot of power hitters on this team,” he says. “Where we lack would probably be pitching, but we’re very strong in terms of hitting and hitting for power. All of the kids have a pretty good chance to play well, based on their performances in the regular season. I don’t think any one kid is going to stand out — it’s going to be a good team effort.”

Hicks himself is going into this year’s tournament with a little momentum, having managed a suc-cessful All-Star team in a different league last year.

“I actually managed the Machine Pitch All-Stars last year,” he says. “ They have three different tour-naments — they do it a little differently. We went to the championship game and won, then lost, and then we won the last one in Eagle Lake.”

9-10 BASEBALL (B) ROSTERStarting Pitcher (SP): Owen Deshong; Wyatt Fordham, Loyd HernandezFirst Base (1B): Gavyn DeanSecond Base (2B): Loyd HernandezShortstop (SS): Ray CowenThird Base (3B): Jonah BendorfCatcher (C): Kaden Mizell, Blake TysonLeft Field (LF): Eddie CruzCenter Field (CF): Joshua Cruz; Lane HicksRight Field (RF): Artaro SierraManager: Keith Hicks

PREVIEW by Justin Kline | Staff Writer

THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014PLANTCITYOBSERVER.COM

Brady Chason may have known that he’d be a head coach someday, but he wasn’t expecting his first gig to come with an All-Star team.

“I’ve been coaching softball for about two years, but this is my first time with an All-Star team,” Chason says.

He’ll be in charge of the 9-10 Softball team, which is coming off of a District 4 Championship tournament win in 2013. While some of the area managers have their game strategies set, Chason and his girls are planning to play it more by ear.

“Our strategy for the upcoming tournaments is to win,” he says. “That’s really about it — we’re just going to go out there and showcase what we have. Hopefully, we’ll win. That’s what we plan on doing.”

It will take a total team effort to repeat as district champs, and to go further, and Chason believes he has the team to do it.

“They’re a very talented 10-year-old team,” he says. “Everybody’s strong all-around. I’m very blessed to have a team like this. They did win the district last year, so I’ve got big shoes to fill.”

Like the 9-10 Baseball teams, the 9-10 Softball team will begin tournament play on June 23. For-tunately for local fans, they’ll be playing at Mike Sansone Park.

9-10 SOFTBALL ROSTERStarting Pitcher (SP): Courtney KillickFirst Base (1B): Lauren RaySecond Base (2B): Kyla FutchShortstop (SS): Keelyn JohnsonThird Base (3B): Bailee KidwellCatcher (C): Katlyn TeagueLeft Field (LF): Jamie JohnsonCenter Field (CF): Lauryn TylerRight Field (RF): Brooke WilsonManager: Brady ChasonNot pictured: Rachel Arnold, Sade Broadnax, Emily Little

Blink, and you might miss the 10-11 Baseball team. While many of the Plant City teams are focus-ing on their pitching or hitting, manager Danny Co-ton and his squad are planning to use their wheels to their benefit.

“I think the advantage we have is that we have five or six of the fastest kids in the district on this team,” Coton says. “We’re hoping to use some power hitters and our speed to win.”

Specifically, they’re going to keep opposing pitch-ers on their toes by going all-out on the base paths.

“We’re going to be very aggressive when base-running, because we have such a talented group of fast kids,” Coton says. “And some big hitters, too. We’re hoping to get the fast kids on base and have the big hitters hit them in.”

Many of the boys will be asked to play positions that they didn’t see much time at in the regular sea-son, but they seem to be taking it well in practices.

“It’s hard to move kids around to different posi-tions,” Coton says. “The players seem to be adjust-ing well, getting along well, and that’s always the key when you’re bringing kids from different teams together.”

The 10-11 team will begin tournament play on June 23, at Mike Sansone Park.

10-11 BASEBALL ROSTERStarting Pitcher (SP): Kelein JohnsonFirst Base (1B): Austin JonesSecond Base (2B): Brent Coton; Jordan KellyShortstop (SS): Jacob FuentesThird Base (3B): Justin McQuaigCatcher (C): Cade DenhoffLeft Field (LF): Christian BisonoCenter Field (CF): Jackson KnottsRight Field (RF): Maxwell NessManager: Danny CotonNot Pictured: Jaden Bendorf, Patrick Connelly, Dawson Traffanstedt

Team manager James Swinson took last year’s 10-11 team to a District 4 championship but still has Sectionals in the back of his mind.

“They won districts right here in Plant City, went on to sectionals and played tough, but came up a little short,” he says. “With this year’s team, I’d like to see them take it a step further.”

To help make a bigger tournament run, Swin-son and his girls are turning much of their at-tention away from the plate appearances. As the saying goes, “Defense wins championships.”

“We’re spending a lot of time focusing on pitching and defense and, hopefully, that will be enough to carry us through,” he says. “We’ve got a lot of good girls that care about each other. They care about teamwork, and hard work. They want to work hard to get better.”

It seems as though the girls themselves want to go further, too, even though not all of them played on last year’s team. The goal for 2014 is to make it all the way to the state tournament.

“I’d like to see them make that state tourna-ment this year. If we get some good practice time in, with this weather, then I like our chances.”

The 10-11 team will begin tournament play on June 23, at Mike Sansone Park, and they’ll have an automatic bid to Sectionals, July 11 to 13, at Pinecrest Little League, 9312 S. C.R. 39.

10-11 SOFTBALL ROSTERStarting Pitcher (SP): Kayla SwinsonFirst Base (1B): Olivia WhitmanSecond Base (2B): Regan MessickShortstop (SS): Alyssa GrimesThird Base (3B): Lacey HicksCatcher (C): Alexandra HarrellLeft Field (LF): Morgan Gill; Phoenix MattairCenter Field (CF): Stephanie Bowers; Carley CotnoirRight Field (RF): Kellie Anne KirklandManager: James SwinsonNot pictured: Ashlynn Dempsey

Perhaps no other All-Star team is about to enter the District 4 tournaments with as much momentum as the 11-12 Baseball team. That’s because the vast majority of this team — save for two players — just returned from a successful Cooperstown Dreams Park Tournament appearance last week. Operating as the Florida Rawlings team, the boys finished 19th out of 104 teams.

“We’re going to be a tough team to beat,” manager Tim Dowdy says. “They’re all-around ballplayers — we can use seven or eight of them anywhere.”

Although the team is solid from top to bottom, its greatest attribute may be hitting the ball. Garrett Gould, Tyler Dowdy, Cole Cothren and Brent May constitute the home run-hitting heart of the batting order, and contact hitters such as Ryan Robinson can create plenty of scoring chances by getting on base.

The other benefit of having almost the entire team play together in Cooperstown is that Dowdy and his coaching staff already have a pretty good grasp of what positions and strategies work best out.

With last year’s District 4 Championship win in mind, the 2014 team is looking to stay on the roll it started in Cooperstown and make a splash in any tournament action. The team starts tournament play June 27, at Haines City Little League, 2401 E. Johnson Ave.

11-12 BASEBALL ROSTERStarting Pitcher (SP): Brent MayFirst Base (1B): Tyler DowdySecond Base (2B): Christopher RodriguezShortstop (SS): Garrett GouldThird Base (3B): Cole Cothren; Chase EnglishCatcher (C): Alex RodriguezLeft Field (LF): Ryan Robinson; Brayden CrewsCenter Field (CF): Chase HubbleRight Field (RF): Jose Machado; Nicholas LusckoManager: Tim DowdyNot pictured: Tre’ Ragan

For team manager Jeff Jacobsen, coaching the Junior Baseball All-Stars is kind of like a home-coming.

“I haven’t been out here in four years,” he says. “Last time I was out here, we had a good group of kids, and it looks like they still have a lot of talent. My sons brought me back. My son (Joe Jacobsen) is playing, and I’m getting back into it.”

Getting to coach his own son is nice and, as an added bonus, Jacobsen has been saddled with a very good team.

“We’ve got a lot of talent,” he says. “A lot of pitching. We’ve got a well-rounded team. We’ll have a real strong defensive team, and I hope it’s going to be a real strong offensive team, too.”

Ask about the team’s greatest strength, though, and Jacobsen will bring up the intangibles — the things that can’t always be coached.

“It’s the discipline, he says. “It’s the kids not having nerves — a lot of the kids have some expe-rience under their belts, so they feel comfortable out here.”

The on-field product is pretty good, too.“We’ve got a lot of speed, and I don’t think we’ll

have to resort to small ball — we’ve got a lot of strong hitters, too,” he says. “Our strategy is to hold them down and score runs.”

The boys will look to avenge the 2013 team’s District 4 tournament loss, beginning June 27 at Mike Sansone Park.

JUNIORS BASEBALL ROSTERStarting Pitcher (SP): Landon ScudderFirst Base (1B): Hunter Carlisle; Eduardo LucasSecond Base (2B): Evan MacMichaelShortstop (SS): Josiah LaraThird Base (3B): Colton Tanner; Joe JacobsenCatcher (C): Coty DeLucaLeft Field (LF): Keyshawn Gardner; Lance YoungCenter Field (CF): Reed TylerRight Field (RF): Nicholas FernandezManager: Jeff JacobsenNot pictured: Adam Givens, Mitchell Jones

John Perez cuts no corners when asked to talk about his Seniors Softball All-Stars — he truly be-lieves nobody in the area can match up.

“We have the team to win,” Perez says. “We’re the best team in the district, or even the area, and I expect us to make it to states. With the pitching we have, and the group of girls, I think we’ll go pretty far.”

Although the team boasts several girls who have hit in the .400 area — Perez puts the number at six or seven — it’s the team’s pitching that brings the overall confidence level up. Though the Juniors are deep at the position, they have a real game-changer on the mound in starter Emilie Thompson.

Thompson, whom Perez says has averaged around 10 strikeouts per game, is arguably one of the top pitchers in the county. Perhaps her most impressive accomplishment of the season was lead-ing her team to a 19-9 championship victory over Polk City in the regular season, despite trailing, 9-1, earlier in the game.

But, the team’s biggest motivator will be one of its other players: first baseman Taylor Goethals, who is battling cancer. After all, if one of their own is strong enough to be brave in the fight of her life, then the rest of the team can surely handle a bunch of softball games. They’re currently looking into making ribbons — decorated with Goethals’s num-ber — to wear on their jerseys.

The girls will begin tournament pay June 23, at Mike Sansone Park, and they have an automatic bid to Sectionals, July 11 to 13, at Pinecrest Little League.

SENIORS SOFTBALL ROSTERStarting Pitcher (SP): Emilie ThompsonFirst Base (1B): Taylor GoethalsSecond Base (2B): Randi WillisShortstop (SS): Kaitlyn HarrellThird Base (3B): Lindsey Prestwood; Destinee PonsonCatcher (C): Madison ReedLeft Field (LF): Victoria GoethalsCenter Field (CF): Sydney St. BrunRight Field (RF): Marybeth StewartManager: John PerezNot Pictured: Alexis Barnett, Victoria Goethals, Destinee Ponson, Marybeth Stewart

Usually, when we hear about All-Star selections in the pro leagues, everybody finds out by checking the In-ternet. The players probably get an email, a phone call, or they may even find a leaked announcement online.

There’s not much of a surprise there, for the most part. I like finding things out a little more when there’s some kind of buildup to it — maybe something to look for, or to look forward to, that will keep me waiting in anticipation.

So, I’ll be the first to say that Plant City Little League’s way of breaking the news is awesome.

Although they could settle for something as simple as a league-wide email to coaches and parents, they choose to go above and beyond that every year by turning it into a Christmas-ish thing: leav-ing something for the kids to wake up to on the morning of announcements.

If you’re a kid who plays ball in Plant City Little League, then this bright sign is exactly what you want to wake up to on the mid-

June morning, when the announcements are made. Although some kids already know what’s up when they see the sign, first-time All-Stars will be happy to read the caption: “A 2014 Plant City Little League All-Star Lives Here!”

“Typically, they are blue for baseball and pink or red for softball,” T.J. Messick says. “The kids are always excited, and they all know to look outside for their sign the morning of announcements. It’s pretty cool.”

Here’s how it works: On the eve of the All-Star announce-ments (which are split up into two non-consecutive days), each All-Star team’s coaching staff will make a list of the players and their homes.

At midnight, they’ll spread out around town and stick those signs in the players’ front lawns. So, if you see this in person next year, don’t freak out — unless the people break into the houses, because then it’s definitely not the coaches.

It’s great, because it’s so subtle, yet you couldn’t miss

it if you tried. Keith Hicks brought one to the Mar-tin Luther King Recreation Center’s baseball fields so that I could see it, and these suckers are bright. Back in my day, I would have hopped on my bike and pedaled from house to house to see who all had the signs in their yards; today, many of these kids have smartphones and likely will know everything within five minutes.

I can only imagine how much more fun it would be if something like this hap-pened in professional sports. There might have to be some workarounds (placing signs on hotel-room doors), be-cause of travel schedules, but it’s probably more fun than any email that says, “Con-grats, but don’t forget about tonight’s game.”

The pros could totally learn from Plant City Little League.

Wake up! You’re an All-Star!

JUSTINKLINE

WHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND?

All of the baseball All-Stars wke up to see this sign.