By By Chandler Myers
So, summer is in full swing and All-Stars are fighting to play another day in tournaments all over the state.
Over the weekend, two of Atmore’s teams battled for the right to be district champions and earn a place in the Cal Ripken State All-Star Tournament that is set to take place in Florence in July.
The younger of the teams put up a valiant effort, but was not able to come through falling short by one run in each of its games.
However, these lucky ballplayers did receive the ride of a lifetime before one of their games though as they rode in style to Theodore in a luxurious Hummer H2 stretch limosine.
Across the ballpark in Theodore, the 12-year-old All-Star team was putting on a show of its own, while swinging its way towards the semifinals.
In their first game, coaches Tim McAnally, Tommy Smith and Jody Dortch made put together a smart line up and placed Aaron McDonald on the mound.
They cruised through the game and crushed Satsuma.
In their following games, the 12 year olds put a beating on Theodore and Tillmans Corner Blue to help give them a better shot at moving to the championship with a win Tuesday in the semifinals.
This is a team that could possibly go to the state tournament and win.
From what I have seen during the Cal Ripken Major League season and from this district tournament, the players selected really have a chance to go far and represent Atmore well.
The strongest aspect of their game has to be their defense.
Every player on the team is solid offensively and defensively and can make the plays in the field.
On the mound, they have six or seven options that can throw heat or put something up t here that’s off speed.
A young team is always dangerous when they have that many choices for pitcher and different options for defensive alignment.
At the plate, every All-Star has a hot bat and puts the ball in play when they need to.
As noted by their scores, they are able to get runners on base and across the plate whether by a base hit or getting walked.
These coaches have them focused and only swinging at good pitches.
Overall, there is a good amount of power to go with the base hitting, so home runs and extra base hits are always possible.
Several players hit home runs over the weekend with a couple of them hitting multiple round trippers.
It will be interesting to see how they fare when they travel to the opposite end of the state to take on the best of the best in the Cal Ripken world.
Hopefully, they will play just as strong and make it all the way to the Cal Ripken World Series in Baltimore.
Here’s wishing them good luck.
Chandler Myers is sports editor of the Atmore Advance. He can be reached at 368-2123 or by e-mail at sports@atmoreadvance.com