|
Wednesday, 29 July 2009 22:40 |
|
|
|
|
ALL STARS!!
North Asheville defeated the Henderson County Green team Wednesday by a score of 7 to 3!!.
North Asheville will play in Sylva Thursday against Franklin at 8pm
GOOD LUCK GUYS!!
CLICK HERE TO SEE NORTH ASHEVILLE IN THE NEWS!!
Thank You WLOS!
Would you like to Volunteer?
Please download and fill out this form
We have Tourist Tickets!
Ask your coach about our special $4 Tourist Tickets today!
Thank you to the Asheville Tourists for supporting North Asheville Little League
- Keep up the Rally!!
Read all About our last year District 4-A Champs!!
Little League team's big win North Asheville's district tourney victory ends a 26-year drought TYLER NORRIS GOODE • THANKS TO THE CITIZEN-TIMES.com
ASHEVILLE — Over the years, the North Asheville Little League has generated some competitive teams and even an eventual big league baseball player. But winning a district tournament was always just out of reach. Not anymore.
A scrappy group of North Asheville 11- and 12-year-olds won the District 5 tournament last week. Head coach David Burdette said it was the first time the program had won a sanctioned event at any age level since becoming affiliated with Little League 26 years ago.
This weekend, they'll open play at the state tournament in Wilson — just two steps away from the Little League World Series next month in Williamsport, Pa. “It was very exciting,” said Drue Head, who along with Rodney Snedeker and Will Patton helped coach the team to Saturday's 7-3 championship win over Franklin. “The whole team stormed the field and did the dog-pile thing toward the pitcher's mound. It was an experience none of those kids had ever had before. It was a new feeling, certainly one of great euphoria.” Sam Weidie, a 12-year-old pitcher and shortstop, said: “It made up for a bunch of other years. We weren't bad, but we just played a bunch of good teams (in the past). It's a huge experience to go this far.
It's a big honor. I'm really happy. I honestly never thought that this would happen.” No less of a star than eventual big leaguer Charles Thomas, who played for the Atlanta Braves (2004) and Oakland As (2005), once played for North Asheville. But he and plenty of others had been unable to get the organization a tournament title. That's one reason this year's head coach, Burdette, wasn't even in Brevard for the championship celebration.
“My brother and I go to this convention called ‘Historicon' every year; it's up in Pennsylvania,” Burdette said. “Since we'd never won before, I was kind of like, ‘Well, we'll be done before I have to go.' We'd been to the district finals a couple of times. Just to be honest with you, it's a shock for all the kids. They just work really hard. I pushed them, they pushed back, and I kept pushing, and they worked really “We're not out there playing 50, 60 games a year,” Burdette said. “We are old-school Little League. We picked our team a month ago, and we've practiced for a month, and that's it. In today's day and age, that's rare.” David Head, the son of Drue and younger brother of recent Asheville High player William, leads the team in batting average (.483) and has a 2.19 ERA. In the championship win, he struck out 12. Weidie has a 3.30 ERA and a .333 batting average, and Kelton Pace has driven in 11 runs and owns a .423 batting average. However, Burdette said the success has been a team effort. “The key to this group is that we don't have one individual who dominates our team,” Burdette said. “Sure, some kids are better than others. But it's been a different kid every day.
There are kids who have three hits and there are kids who have 15, but the kid with three had three hits that helped us win the game.” The state tournament newcomers know they won't be favored to advance to the Southeast Regional, but they don't sound too terribly concerned about low expectations.It's a role they know well. “In the past, others may have viewed us as a team they could show up and beat,” David Head said. “But we've proved that you have to try your hardest if you want to beat us.”hard.”
.jpg)
