Madison Heights’ 11-12-year-old all-star baseball team won’t be the only local squad in the Dixie Youth “O” Zone World Series, which starts Saturday at the W. Glenn Ricketts Complex following Friday’s opening ceremonies at Amherst County High School.
Rustburg won last week’s Virginia state tournament, hitting six home runs to rout tournament host Salem 16-2 in the championship game, and will join Taylorville American (Ala.), Ashdown (Ark.), Sebring American (Fla.), West Seminole American (Fla.), Columbia County National (Ga.), Winder (Ga.), Bossier City American (La.), Pascagoula Coast (Miss.), Hope Mills American (N.C.), Reidsville (N.C.), Mid Carolina (S.C.), Sumter American (S.C.), Chester County (Tenn.) and Spring Hill (Texas) in the World Series field.
But Madison Heights — which, like Rustburg, is loaded with 11 12-year-olds and one 11-year-old — could be one of the favorites.
“This is probably as good a ball team as we’ve ever put into ‘O’ Zone, and the most experienced with seven returning players from last year’s team (which reached the World Series in Columbus, S.C.),” Madison Heights Youth Baseball Association 20th-year president Ronnie Adams said. “It’s a good hitting squad and with the depth of pitching, I think they’ll make a good showing.”
Wayne Cocke, who is coaching his second World Series team in his 26 seasons in the league after leading the 11-12-year-old Majors when Madison Heights hosted that tournament in 2001, said his team is thrilled to be back.
“They’re very excited,” he said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and now some of these kids are getting to experience it a second time. They’ll cherish it for the rest of their lives.”
He said his players are prepared to pick one other up.
“I’m very excited about that part of it,” Cocke said. “They play as a team and they really feed off of one another. There’s very high team camaraderie.
“I think they’re not overconfident, but they’ve got a lot of confidence in themselves,” he added. “They’re a very baseball-savvy group of kids. They’ve got a lot of baseball experience.”
The tournament kicks off with a home run derby starting at 2 p.m. Friday, followed by a welcome banquet for the players and coaches at 6 p.m. at the Madison Heights Community Center. Then, at 7:30 p.m. at Lancer Stadium, former Liberty University and Atlanta Braves baseball player Sid Bream will be the guest speaker for the opening ceremonies, with fireworks to follow.
Both area teams will begin play at 7 p.m. Saturday, with Madison Heights taking on Winder, Ga., on one field and Rustburg challenging Spring Hill, Texas, on the other.
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