The Dalles 10U All Star head coach Michael Cates fields a roster of seven 10-year olds and six nine-year olds for the start of District 5 Little League play.
Avery Schwartz, Nolan Cates and William Booth have the most all-star experience, and 10 other athletes are making their postseason debuts, starting at 11 a.m. Saturday in Redmond.
“Everybody is younger this year, with the new age cutoff, so everyone is going to be in the same situation we are in pretty much,” coach Cates said.
Even with the youth, Coach Cates likes his team’s chances to win some games and shock some teams.
“If we hit the ball, I think we can beat anybody. If our pitching is there, we have a fighting chance,” coach Cates said. “These boys have worked hard for the last three weeks and they have put the time in. It is up to them now. We will see how they do. I think we’ve got a good shot at success.”
On the field with Nolan Cates, Schwartz and Booth, are Cody Agidius, Carson Ramsay, Finley Corbin, Reese Kenslow, Derek Goulart, Sterling Coburn, Trey Hodges, Joshua Brackenbury, Hudson Case and Jonah Ofisa.
This is a squad that is inexperienced, but has the desire to play well and give it all they have.
“I think we have what it takes,” Agidius said. “I think our pitching is good and our hitting is pretty good, but we need to work on our fielding. I think our pitchers are good. We can throw strikes and get the outs.”
Coburn comes in as the ace pitcher of the staff with his power game leading the charge.
Booth, Agidius and Cates will also log some starting innings, and Schwartz, Goulart and Hodges will see some relief spots through the tournament.
“Hopefully, we will get some good innings out of each of these kids and at least let the other team put the ball in play,” coach Cates said.
Like in any league or level, consistency is one of the pivotal parts to the pitching game.
Although a little nervous about what to expect, coach Cates remains confident that his pitchers will keep his team within contention when the stakes are raised.
“You are going to have some kids struggle hitting the ball, people will pop up and hit groundballs. I am just worried about my pitchers throwing strikes. Not striking people out, but being in the zone. If they can do that, they will give us a chance to be successful.”
Two weeks ago, The Dalles played in a tournament in Yakima and claimed runner-up honors, while playing a tough field of teams from across the Pacific Northwest.
Cates said the offense was contagious, as every player made a significant contribution.
“We have a really good offense. We can hit the ball good and we have fast guys too,” Corbin said. “We get confident as the game goes on. We get rid of the butterflies and play good baseball. I believe we can do a lot of hitting in Redmond.”
Coburn is excited about the chance to show other teams from surrounding areas that The Dalles has good players and good athletes that can play well on the big stage.
While this group is considered an underdog, he likes the way his teammates have prepared for these big moments.
“I am excited. We come from a small town and if we win it, it would be awesome. This town has good players here and we want to show it,” Coburn said. “We just have to be able to make the plays, keep our mindset on baseball and play our best. We also need to keep our attitudes up and we need to stay positive.”
Last year’s 10U All Stars came back from the loser’s bracket to claim the town’s first district championship.
Coach Cates was on the coaching staff with Ben Donivan and Ken Brock.
He gets his chance to lead this young group to a new destination.
“I helped Ken and Ben last year. I learned a lot from them,” coach Cates said. “I think all-stars is quite a bit different in terms of managing pitchers and the players. There is a lot of different strategies involved.
“That experience last year, being around the kids and learning some things, will help me a lot in this tournament. I think if we can get consistent performances from our kids and I can make the right calls, we have a pretty good chance to at least go out there and compete well. If we can walk away knowing that we did all that, I think we did a pretty good job.”
If The Dalles can win on Saturday, they would play at 8 a.m. that next Sunday against the winner of Jefferson County and Bend North.
An opening-round district loss, however, drops TD down to the loser’s bracket for a contest at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
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