Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.
Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Please purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Your current subscription does not provide access to this content.
The Emporia Reds 12U team with their trophies from winning the 12A USSSA State Tournament.
The Emporia Reds 12U team at the 12A USSSA State Tournament.
The Emporia Reds 12U team won the 12A USSSA State Tournament at Blue Valley Recreation Sports Complex in Overland Park over the weekend.
The team, which has won 11 in a row through Sunday, is a group of 12-13-year-olds (players can be 13 if their birthday is after the May 1 cutoff) that plays league games in Topeka. But the team is more geared toward competing in tournaments, and that is where they have shined this summer.
“Our first tournament in KC, we didn’t do so well and then we played a tournament in Manhattan May 21-22 and took second in that tournament,” head coach Justin Schultz said. “We had another tournament in Manhattan again June 4-5 and won that tournament. Then we took a couple of weeks off from tournaments and just played league games until we played in a tournament in KC two weekends ago (June 18-19). We won that tournament and then had state this weekend and had to win six games. We won all six and won the championship game against Baxter Springs on a walk-off.”
In the championship game, Emporia actually trailed 6-0 in the second inning and 7-1 in the fourth before chipping away. They scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to 7-5, with three runs scoring on errors and one on a wild pitch.
In the fifth, Emporia added two more runs when Brody Lawson drive in Kael Bloomquist and Beckett Schultz with a double to center to make it a one-run game.
In the sixth, Jayden Blount walked with one out, stole second and third, and scored on a single by Jackson Hes to tie the game. He scored the winning run when Oliver Kline lined a double to left.
This group of boys have been together since they were playing 8U, and Schultz has been coaching them the entire way. He’s excited to not only teach the kids the game, but also to see firsthand how far they’ve come over the years.
“I continue to coach because I used to play baseball as a kid through high school and I just love the game,” Schultz said. “I love teaching the kids the game and it makes me feel good seeing the progress they are making from where they were to where they are right now.
“The kids have worked hard all year. Two other coaches and myself, Jeremy Way and Jared Kline, we’re always preaching to the kids to keep working hard and stay mentally tough. I think everything is finally starting to click for these boys. They’re learning baseball, their IQ is getting a lot better and we’re a family. So, I think that helps us and it’s a beautiful thing.”
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.