After riding high for a week following their West State Tournament championship, the Owensboro Western Cal Ripken 12U All-Stars are ready for more. Their season continues today at the Ohio Valley Regional Tournament in Crown Point, Ind.
Western put together an impressive 5-0 run en route to the West State title. In the final day of competition, they beat 2018 runner-up Barren County before taking down two-time defending champion Elizabethtown in the title game.
Western manager Peggs Wathen said he made sure the team knew what to expect before the tournament began.
“We talked a lot about the state tournament and what it meant and the type of competition they were going to face there,” Wathen said, putting emphasis on the top-tier Barren County and Elizabethtown squads. “At regionals, all that will be up there are those types of teams. But clearly we are that same type of team since we won the state tournament.”
Western plays all three pool play games in less than 24 hours. They play a pair of games today (Buffalo, W.V., at 11:30 a.m. and Schererville, Ind., at 4:30 p.m.) and one Saturday (Newburgh, Ind., at 9 a.m.)
At state, all teams advanced regardless of their finish. At region, only the top two from each of the three four-team pools moves on.
“I don’t like the fact that six teams are not going to get into the tournament,” he said. “I can understand some of it because they want the pool play games to mean something. You’ve got to fight to get into the tournament, and you may have to use your pitching to do that.”
That’s not such a bad thing for Western, who relied on strong pitching and defense to win West State. If they can put a few runs on the board, Wathen said they should have a chance to win.
“That’s basically what won the championship for us,” he said. “We’re not going to face inferior pitching. That means your sticks have to come alive. You have to be able to bat against tough competition. We’ve got them prepared for it.”
The region winner will advance to the Cal Ripken World Series, and while Wathen knows it’s a tall order, he’s got plenty of faith Western will be in the mix. He said it may take an inning two shake some nerves, but his team is dedicated to keeping the season alive.
“They’re buying in, and they’re all in,” he said. “It makes me proud to coach them when you get kids like this. It’s a lot of fun.”
