Vic Evans still looks back fondly on the summer of 2004. Then the manager of the Owensboro Southern 11-12 All-Stars, Evans and his 12 players made their incredible run all the way to the Little League World Series.
“It’s still the greatest summer I’ve ever had,” said Evans, who now manages the summer collegiate Owensboro RiverDawgs. “Unless you make it to the majors or the college world series, no matter what you do the rest of your life, there’s not a bigger stage. They embraced the grind and embraced the whole thing and really enjoyed it.”
Now, 15 years later, the Southern All-Stars team is being honored on July 6 before the RiverDawgs game at Chautauqua Park. Players will be recognized beforehand and throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the game, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
“It’s going to be a time for us to get together and for the city to give thanks to them,” Evans said. “It was a great run, and they should be recognized after 15 years.”
The LLWS appearance came during an impressive stretch for the Southern All-Stars, who won the state tournament six times from 2000-06 — with 2002 the only time they did not win in that span. They also advanced to the LLWS again in 2005.
“It was a lot of things,” Evans said of the long period of success. “There were a lot of good people around. It kind of builds on itself. You have success and everybody wants to keep it going. It was a bunch of really good kids that really loved the game and played hard.
“I don’t think there’s any special thing. It just happened to be sort of a golden six or seven years there. I don’t think you can prepare for it or work at it. Sometimes it just happens.”
Evans said players expected to be in attendance are Jonathan Higdon, Luke Daugherty, Jake Tanner, Andrew Webb, Nick Laster, Bryson Morrow, Meghan Sims, Stephen Hardy and Dalton West.
Other players were Cole Sturgeon — currently playing for Triple-A Pawtucket in the Boston Red Sox organization — Ross Gilliam and Donte Washington. Assistant coaches were Keith Evans, Matt Evans and Jason Shuler.
Evans said he’s happy to be able to honor the team, but he’s especially excited just to spend time with some of the guys he hasn’t seen for a long time.
“In sports, it’s never about where you finish,” he said. “It’s always the journey. To relive some old stories that happened in the dorms, the things that nobody else knows but us, some of just the funny things that happened and get to joke with each other, that’s the part I’m looking forward to.”
