The summer baseball season will continue next week for a number of Columbus teams at the Dizzy Dean World Series.
On Thursday, Kelvin Smith, coach of the Columbus Americans 8-year-old All-Stars, said his team has decided to play in the Dizzy Dean World Series, which starts July 22 in Southaven.
Columbus lost to Louisville in its first game of the double-elimination qualifier and went on to play eight games in four days. It made it all the way through the losers” bracket before losing to undefeated Starkville in the title game.
“The kids did so good that it was our word to them that if they finished first or second in the state tournament that we would try to keep our word,” Smith said. “They deserve to show their talent to the rest of the country.”
The Columbus Americans Dizzy Dean 10-year-old All-Stars also learned Thursday they will go to the Dizzy Dean World Series next week in Tupelo.
Columbus, which finished second to Louisville earlier this week, earned a chance to go to the World Series in Southaven, which begins July 22, when Batesville, the North runner-up, decided it didn”t want its season to continue.
Those teams will join the Columbus Nationals and Americans 11- to 12-year-old teams in Southaven next week. The Nationals edged the Americans in the winner-take-all title game earlier this week in Eupora. The top two teams from the tournament earned the chance to go to the World Series.
Smith”s All-Stars entered the Dizzy Dean state tournament confident after playing well at the Bulldog Bash in Starkville. But the team went three weeks without playing a game, which Smith said cost it against Louisville, a team it had defeated earlier in the season.
Still, he said he was pleased with his players” determination. The team fought back from a 13-1 deficit in one game to win 16-15 and rallied from an 8-1 hole in another game for an 11-10 victory.
The team battled dehydration Saturday during three games and showed a fight that made Smith and all of the coaches proud.
“They didn”t give up,” Smith said. “It is a good group of kids and a great group of coaches.”
Smith said he wants the players to go to Southaven to have fun. He knows many of the players won”t be together next season when they move up into the 10-and-under age group. He also realizes some players might not continue to play baseball, which will make the trip to the World Series even more special.
“We feel we accomplished a goal that we wanted to accomplish, so the kids deserve this,” Smith said. “It was a tough tournament. Somehow our guys started slow like they had to wind it up, but we all learned something. We learned how tough we can be when we have to be.”
The Columbus Americans Dizzy Dean 8-year-old All-Stars are: Jackson Conn, Lawson Dale, Melvin Crawford, Sam Hannon, Kelvin Smith Jr., Jackson Dollar, Christopher Gray, Richard Gay, Luke Altmyer, Jaylen Smith, Will Teague, and Michael Frierson. Assistant coaches are Chad Altmyer and Chad Dollar.
The Columbus 10-year-old Dizzy Dean All-Stars are: J.R. Jourdan, Blayze Berry, Brandon Platero, Andrew Nix, Tyler Smith, Dalton Moody, Ethan Bryan, Rye McGlothin, Max Gee, Carson Collier, Luke Barrett, Seth Harris, and Moak Griffin. Jackie Smith is the had coach. Assistant coaches are Chad Moody and Ivan Bryan, and head coach Jackie Smith.
The Columbus Nationals 11- to 12-year-old All-Stars are: Kyle Cook, Brandon Jones, Jake McCullough, Carson Forrester, Cole Griffin, Dalton Ford, Dylon Mason, Luke Yarbrough, Thomas Stevens, and Drew Pounders. Tommy McCullough is the head coach. Assistant coaches are Harold Pounders, Sonnie Yarbrough, Ashley Stevens, Dennis Jones, and Cody Pounders.
The Columbus Americans Dizzy Dean 11- to 12-year-old All-Stars are: Kobe Harcrow, Malik Henry, Kendré Conner, Laquinston Sharp, Jamel Thomas, Deonteau Rieves, R.J. DeLoach, Gregory King, Robert Brown, Terry Rowzee, and Deonteau Wright. Jamie Sharp is the head coach.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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