The 2013 Clay County 9-10 Baseball All Stars Finish 9th in State Tournament

Team…The 9-10 All Star Baseball team consisted of the following players: Andrew Adkins, Caleb Atha, Phillip Brown, Collin Cottrell, Grant Krajeski, Josh Mance, Trenton Moore, Ganon Osborne, Colten Pritt, Justin Samples, Trey Sams, and Lucas Sizemore. We were told that Clay County was the youngest and definitely the smallest team in the State Tournament. It was something to see those big teams show up with huge 10 year-olds and a dozen $200.00 bats; but, our boys never flinched. They finished the season with a 5-3 record and a 9th place ranking for the State. The attitude and work of our team quickly won the respect of the crowd and the tournament staff at the District and State levels. This is a great bunch of boys. They had a great time and look forward to their next opportunity.
Parents and Coaches…Greg Sizemore, Shawn Krajeski and John Brown coached the team this year. They all felt that it was an honor to work with these boys. It was amazing to see their development and how they became a team over a short period of time. The coaches knew that the team would face stiff competition and spent nearly every day practicing with the team. The coaching staff cannot say enough good things about the parents. They never questioned our decisions and made sure the boys were there for practice and games. The parents were always there to volunteer and help where ever needed.
Community…When the team finished as runner-up in District play, everyone was excited; but, it meant that we had to find a way to pay for the team to travel and compete. The team decided to do a bucket-drive and a car wash/bake sale. We had three days to clear obstacles and make it happen…and we did…with the help of MANY in the COMMUNITY. The support and financial assistance of the community was overwhelming. We would not have been successful without the help of everyone. We would like to thank everyone that helped. Here are as many businesses as we could remember…Bailey & Glasser, Bowen Dental, Bullards Exxon, Clay County Bank, Clay County Little League, Clay Dental Clinic, Clay Foodland, Cunningham Motors, Melissa & William Dennis, Dr. Sharon Jamie, Pierson Lumber, Jeff Sears, The Town of Clay, and Wilson Shamblin Smith Funeral Home.
Our League…In Little League, unlike the State School system, there are no divisions by size of area. By comparison, our District and our League are small. My guess is that WV District 8 has less than 2000 participants. District 3 brags on its web-site about having over 8500 participants. Last year, Clay County Little League had 190 participants and this year it jumped to 260. That is still small, even in our District. In our District, Elkins has over 500 participants in baseball alone. There are approximately 116 Leagues in WV; each League can send teams to All Star Competition. This year, Clay County Little League sent three teams to All Star Competition. Two of those teams made it to the State Tournament. The 10-11 Softball team placed 3rd and the 9-10 Baseball team placed 9th. We expect the growth and the winning of our League to continue. Stop by the Dundon facility to see the changes made over the past few years.
Thanks to each of you for the support!!!