PAnews.com, Port Arthur, Texas

Sports

Discussion

July 31, 2008

Nederland 14s add to BR mystique

By Cody Pastorella

The success Mid County has in its Babe Ruth baseball is almost so common place that it becomes hard to be impressed. However, in the last 12 years alone, there have been two local Babe Ruth World Series winners from all-star teams ranging from 13-16-years of age (1996 and 2004).

Just last year, Nederland Babe Ruth sent a 15-year-old squad to the WS. The last two seasons, Mid County senior Babe Ruth has sent its 16-year-old teams to the WS. It would have been a third straight year for the 16s, which won a third straight Regional, but Babe Ruth elected to cancel the 16-year-old WS this season.

After last weekend's results, the Nederland Babe Ruth 14-year-old all stars can be added to the coveted list teams to qualify for the WS. And this group just may have what it takes to add another championship banner.

The 14s, made up of 10 Nederlanders, three from Port Neches-Groves and one player from West Brook, have absolutely destroyed their competition.

Nederland has an 8-0 slate, having won four games in Wharton to claim the East Texas State Championship and four more games in Bryant, Ark. to claim the Southwest Regional Championship.

Nederland has outhit its opponents 96-29 and outscored its opponents 101-18.

Head coach Steven Pitts, who is the father of first baseman and pitcher, Jacob, said those numbers could be even more lopsided if Nederland had not backed off in several games.

Nederland has had just one victory where it was held to just five runs. It was that same game where Nederland's margin of victory was less than five runs.

That game was its last, a 5-3 victory over Bryant for the regional championship. Nederland trailed 2-0 in the contest before scoring five unanswered.

Also in that contest, Trent Fontenot pitched a complete game and was named the tournament's most valuable player. Daniel Sparrow, the starting catcher, was the state tournament's most valuable player.

By way of an interesting note, Sparrow is the younger brother of PN-G's Sammy Sparrow, who played with Nederland's 15-year-old Babe Ruth team that went to the WS last year. Sammy was also on this year's 16-year-old team.

Jacob Pitts makes the third member of the Pitts family to be on a WS team. His cousin Clinton Pitts played on the 16-year-old club that went to the WS two years ago and older brother, Jordan, was named to the All World Series team last year as a 16-year-old.

Rounding out the rest of Nederland's roster is second baseman Stephen Schlett, center fielder Gerran Freeman, shortstop Hunter Knox, third baseman Jordan Wood, pitcher Brett Brown, outfielder Daniel Atterberry, utility player David Conley, pitcher and outfielder Kohl Lasell, pitcher Corbin Carr, utility player Trey Broussard, pitcher Ryan Quinn and left fielder Justin Ridgaway.

As of Thursday, Nederland was the only team to have clinched a spot in the WS bracket. The rest of the regional qualifiers have not been finished. The WS is set for Aug. 16-23 and will be in Quincy, Mass. where there will be 13 teams in all.

The Babe Ruth League pays the cost of travel and host parents are provided for the players.

Pitts said the team will be making arrangements to raise money for parents airfare and lodging.

Pitts said they would be contacting several local businesses as well as putting on fundraisers.

As far as Nederland's success, Pitts said the key has been pitching.

"We are so deep," he said. "Just the lineup alone could be made up about 10 different ways but then our pitching is so deep. We have guys who could very well be aces and they haven't even pitched yet. We've been very fortunate to have some of our middle relief guys come in and chew up innings. Those guys have done a great job doing that for us."

The team has an ERA of 1.06. with Fontenot leading the way with 18 innings pitched and 1.17 ERA.

Nederland is batting .410 as a team. Knox leads the way with a .619 average. He is one of three starters batting over .475. The other two are Pitts, who has a .481 and Fontenot is hitting .478.

And Nederland has done all this hitting and scoring without the benefit of one home run.

"We've just played station to station ball," Pitts said. "In a lot of cases, we've had to play that way because we would have run up the score. In most of those games, we ended up running up the score anyway. This is just a big, talented and smart bunch of kids."

Text Only
Sports
  • Nederland faces road test on Friday

    February 9, 2012

  • Neal Morgan scores touchdown with Play It From Heart

    February 9, 2012

  • Goose shooting strong on coast

    February 9, 2012

  • Two FBS teams highlight Lamar’s 2012 football schedule

    February 9, 2012

  • LSCPA Softball splits doubleheader

    February 9, 2012

  • Seahawks overcome player shortage, win easily

    Matt Cross wondered Wednesday whether Lamar Port Arthur’s basketball team had enough healthy players available to face Kilgore College.
    The Lamar State program literally was falling apart before head coach Cross’ eyes. The game clock didn’t work. The players were dropping like Lakeshore mosquitoes.
    Point guard Derrick Dawkins had crutches after sustaining a knee injury Saturday. Wing man Elton Roy missed last Saturday’s game with a knee sprain. Opposite wing Eldridge Moore was hobbled by an ankle sprain. Power man Jayon James was sick with bronchitis. Post man Elijah Pittman seemed out of sorts too.
    “I’m only about 75 percent,” said the Seahawks third-year coach after canceling a lunch appointment.
    It got worse at the start of this 75-50 victory in Carl Parker Center before life improved any on the good ship Seahawk.
    Playmaker deluxe Brandon Peters said he was “hit in the mouth” by a Kilgore player’s shoulder.
    “I’m going to have to go to the dentist tomorrow morning,” Peters said, shaking his head. “The guy knocked my teeth all the way back.”
    Battered and beaten to a pulp, the Seahawks (especially Peters) proved that basketball definitely is played above the shoulders, too.
    More than anything else, Lamar State simply relaxed and rebounded. And rebounded some more.
    The Seahawks crashed the boards in a way that they have not pounded them in a couple of weeks. They knocked home seven three-pointers and welcomed a special addition to their star of the game show. Lamar State College-Port Arthur, meet Lakeem Duncan.
    “We asked one person to step up in practice with Derrick going to the doctor tomorrow (Thursday) and Lakeem did,” his head coach Cross said.
    Duncan led the way with 16 points and backcourt buddy Shondel Stewart added 15. Peters changed jerseys (to 32 from his usual 23) after losing blood from being hit in the mouth. Peters had 11 points and 8 boards. Roy patiently treated his wounded knee all weekend with ice and also scored 11. Bum ankle or not, Moore managed 10 boards and 8 points.
    And a clean shaven head coach smiled afterwards after every one in Seahawk Nation told him that his team needed to rebound better. After Trinity Valley outrebounded Lamar State by seven on Saturday, the Seahawks returned to work and captured the backboard battle on this night, 33-22.
    “I thought we rebounded the ball well consistently,” Cross said. “We’re still No. 1 in our conference and if we can get everybody healthy, we can still have a very good chance to defend our championship.”
    Parker Center’s game clock has been malfunctioning for the past three home games and it had a way of really dictating a lot about this game. The game officials had to frequently counsel Kilgore head coach Brian Hoberecht about the clock and its unpredictable nature.
    A very good indicator of Seahawks prosperity arrived eight minutes into this one when Roy penetrated on a weave and dished out to Moore in the left corner. The 6-5 sophomore knocked home a three-pointer for a 15-8 Lamar State lead. Kilgore never got within five points the rest of the game.
    Another telltale moment developed right before the half when Roy missed a jumper, but followed his own shot on a layup to give the Seabirds a 36-19 cushion. Kilgore never got closer than 10 after that.
    Lamar State (18-5 and 10-2) will welcome all the support in Baytown that it can receive on Saturday night. The Seahawks visit Lee College that night at 7:30 p.m.

    February 8, 2012

  • Ford tough leader for young Titans

    February 8, 2012

  • James, Lamb lead LU romp over Demons

    February 8, 2012

  • Fans can vote for Mike James as dunker

    February 7, 2012

  • LSC-PA seeks to rebound from home loss

    February 7, 2012