By: Scott McLendon

The 6 and under Luverne All Stars reeled of a few landslide victories in the state tournament in Dothan before being eliminated in a loss of slender margins.

“They were amazed because of the stage,” said head coach JJ McCreary. “They played on really nice fields in a big complex. There were a lot of teams there that we had seen in recreation ball. I think the success of the high school baseball teams gets them ready for who they are going to play. Most of the teams that we played down there would be considered travel ball teams.”

The Dixie Coach Pitch team of Luverne wrought a third place finish in district play to earn a trip to Dothan for state.

This All Star team trounced multiple opponents before ultimately being eliminated. The All Stars of Luverne dismantled Dadeville 16-1. The kids would continue that victorious streak on the following day when they put 24 runs past their opponents while surrendering 16.

“This is a great adventure for the kids and they went down there and represented the city of Luverne well,” said Lee Simmons of the Luverne Parks and Recreation Department. “They had a really good tournament. They look up to the high school kids at that age. They’re already talking at that age group about playing high school ball later. I hope they learned some about sportsmanship and how to respect other players from this experience.”

The adolescent All Stars were unable to replicate the success of last year’s team who finished third in the state, but they didn’t walk away empty-handed. The children were given not only lessons pertaining to the sport, but also lessons that would enrich their lives outside of athletics.

“In everything I do I try to teach accountability,” said McCreary. “They need to be able to hold each other accountable. I tell them all the time that there’s a bigger world out there outside of athletics.

The coaches are at a point where we have our hands on the shaping and molding of young men that are next in line to be men. I tell them that there are two things they can control, your attitude and effort.”

“We just want to thank the people of Crenshaw County who came out and supported us and kept up with us. A lot of them came out to watch us play. We just want to say thank you.”