The Dalles Little League’s 12U All-Stars have a tough opening draw for District 5 play at 11 a.m. Sunday against the winner of Saturday morning’s Warm Springs versus Bend North matchup at Kramer Field. In the photo are, starting in the back row, from left to right, Ken Brock (head coach), Luciano Alvarado, Henry Begay, William Lee, Riley Brock, Dylan Titus, Cooper Klindt, Jimmy Shaver (assistant coach), Ben Donivan (assistant coach). In the bottom row are, from left, Nolan Donivan, James Porter, Braden VanSickle, Cooper Cummings, Sam Shaver and Olsen Meanus.
The Dalles Little League’s 12U All-Stars have a tough opening draw for District 5 play at 11 a.m. Sunday against the winner of Saturday morning’s Warm Springs versus Bend North matchup at Kramer Field. In the photo are, starting in the back row, from left to right, Ken Brock (head coach), Luciano Alvarado, Henry Begay, William Lee, Riley Brock, Dylan Titus, Cooper Klindt, Jimmy Shaver (assistant coach), Ben Donivan (assistant coach). In the bottom row are, from left, Nolan Donivan, James Porter, Braden VanSickle, Cooper Cummings, Sam Shaver and Olsen Meanus.
For several, if not all the members of The Dalles Little league 12U All-Stars, this is their last year to make it past districts, state, regionals and to Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Sam Shaver knows every player has even more of a sense of urgency.
The defending district champion Stars are part of a nine-team field that is vying for top honors.
“We are really motivated to get to state and maybe further,” Shaver said. “I think it would be a big disappointment, I think, because it is our last year in Little League and we are all motivated to get to state. We want to beat Bend North.”
Joining The Dalles and Bend North, the two finalists from 2017, are Redmond, Crook County, Hood River, Jefferson County, Bend South, Warm Springs and John Day River.
On its way to its District 5 title last season, TD defeated John Day River, Jefferson County, Crook County and Redmond by a combined margin of 45-11.
Bend North came away with a 9-4 win in the first game of the finals to create a winner-take-all matchup.
In the title tilt, the Stars battled back from a 14-10 deficit with five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, in a 15-14 thriller.
On this year’s 12U squad are Riley Brock, Nolan Donivan, Cooper Klindt, Dylan Titus, James Porter, Braden VanSickle, William Lee, Luciano Alvarado, Henry Begay, Cooper Cummings, Olsen Meanus and Shaver.
Even without some former standouts, TD can score runs, as they have outscored Hermiston, Hood River and Pendleton by a 31-14 margin in 24 scrimmage innings.
“It’ll be good, and it’ll be fun to put a whole different group out there this year,” coach Brock said. “We have a lot of ability. Our pitching staff is deep, and we can swing it. So, it is going to be a fun group to see what we can do and see what kind of havoc we can wreak.”
The Dalles has its first game at 11 a.m. this Sunday against Saturday’s winner between Warm Springs and Bend North.
The championship rounds are scheduled for Friday, July 6, at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., if necessary.
TD has the talent to put together a good run, but Cummings is adamant about execution.
“We have to hit the ball good, field good and put out a good team effort,” Cummings said. “We need to have good baserunning and not swing for the fences every single time. We have to work on base hits and hitting the ball hard and scoring a lot of runs.”
Coach Brock and his assistants, Jimmy Shaver and Ben Donivan, have done everything in their power to get this team hitting on all cylinders.
The final outcome lies in more than just wins and losses, however.
“It comes down to their mindset and their desire to compete and want to take it from somebody,” coach Brock said. “You are not going to walk onto the field and have somebody hand you a game, especially the championship game. For these kids right here, it is going to come down to where their head is, how much they want it and if they want it. If they decide they are going to take it from people, then I believe we can just about take it from anybody.”
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