Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

Local Sports

Related Photos

  • Tuning up... Top: The celebration after the Princeton Senior League all-stars won the state championship. Contributed photo

    Senior league

Discussion

August 4, 2010

Princeton bound for regionals

By TOM BONE The Associated Press

GARDNER — Keith Rose could see it coming. His Little League teams had been in four state tournaments and tied for third as 9-, 10- and 12-year-olds.

Now, as state champions on the 16-and-under level, the undefeated Greater Princeton Little League all-stars are scheduled to leave for Viera, Florida, today to compete as the West Virginia entry in the Little League Senior League Southeast Regional Tournament.

“We’ve been working on this since some of these kids were 7 (or) 8 years old,” said Rose, the team’s head coach — or manager, in official Little League parlance.

“To be honest, I’ve expected these boys to win it almost every time they’ve been there. They’re a top-notch team, and we’ve always fallen just a little short, right at the end,” Rose said. “They’re a great bunch of boys.”

It is the first time since 1978 that a Princeton Little League team got beyond the state level, according to parents gathered at the ballpark Tuesday evening. They said it is the first trip ever for a Princeton team in the 16-and-under age group.

The team consists of eight Princetonians, plus Matt Hatfield from PikeView High School, Donnie Robbins of Montcalm High and Brad Fox from Bluefield High. A majority were varsity starters last spring.

Rose said, “Really, putting it all together for Mercer County made a great team.”

Fox and Corey Quick will not be making the trip because they are playing football for their high schools, and practice began this week.

“We’re going down with nine players,” Rose said. “This time of the year, it’s tough to give up one sport (or) turn down another. Unfortunately, they had to make the decision.”

The team, which has an 18-0 record, beat Logan 4-3 in 10 innings last Thursday to win the state championship in St. Albans.

Hatfield was the winning pitcher, striking out four in two shutout innings. He and Robbins each had two hits and a run in the game. Alex Quick, the starting pitcher, notched seven strikeouts in five innings.

When Corey Quick hit a double to score Hatfield with the winning run, “it was a great feeling,” Rose said. “The boys said it was the best feeling they’d ever had. It was nice to bring the championship back to Princeton.”

“We’re still pretty excited,” said Quick. “We’ve all just had a lot of dedication to the team.”

Coach Gareth Mills said, “Everybody on this team has contributed in one form or another. We’ve done it with different players from time to time.”

“We knew we had a good team overall,” he said. “I didn’t think we’d be undefeated at this point, but we’ll take it.”

Rose said to achieve the 18-0 record, his squad beat “traditional powerhouses” from Logan, St. Albans, Hurricane, and a Jefferson County team from Charles Town.

The composite batting average for the Princeton team is .463, with a .592 on-base percentage. Seth Rose and Jon Shoda are the RBI leaders with 13 and 11 respectively. Hatfield and Fox each have stolen three bases.

In the pitching department, Shoda has produced 17 strikeouts, Rose has 16 and Alex Quick has 12.

The manager said that he has effective relief pitchers in Hatfield, Robbins and Chris Otey.

“We’re really talented in both (pitching and hitting),” Alex Quick said. “We have a couple of guys who throw in the low 80s on the mound, and several with a .500 or better batting average.”

Dean Quick is the bookkeeper and statistician for the squad.

The team got in some batting and fielding practice Tuesday evening in Gardner, but another priority has been motivating them since Thursday.

Perspiring heavily from throwing for batting practice, Keith Rose said, “To be honest, the last few days we really tried to focus on raising money, and we had a short time to get there.

“As soon as we won the state championship, we started back on Friday morning trying to raise funds to get to Florida.” He said that team members “have actually been working hard, on the street,” seeking donations.

“We’re about $1,500 short of our goal, but we’re still striving to get that, and money’s still coming in. Hopefully, maybe someone out there may offer a little more,” he said.

Regional pool play games are scheduled for Friday at 9:30 a.m., Saturday at 1:30 p.m., and Monday at 9:30 a.m. Survivors of pool play will advance to the next round, with the championship game scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 10:30 a.m.

The regional winner qualifies for the Senior League World Series in Maine.

Keith Rose said the group is hoping to make a side trip to the beach and/or Disney World while in the Sunshine State.

Shoda said, “I think we’re prepared. I think we’re ready. It’s going to be tough. The other teams are going to be ready to win, just as (much) as we are.”

He said being the first Princeton team in 32 years to reach regional play “feels awesome.

“They’ll remember that for a long time, down here at the Little League.”

— Contact Tom Bone at

tbone@bdtonline.com

Text Only
Local Sports