NEDERLAND — Deep down, Reagan Baker feels the fact that Nederland’s 14-year-old Babe Ruth All-Star team made its own World Series is a big deal, a year after Mid County Senior Babe Ruth won it all.

“It’s a big inspiration to us coaches and those boys, because those boys watched that World Series team play last year,” said Baker, the Nederland 14s’ manager. “… For them to go to the high school field and watch those boys play, and then go to the Babe Ruth field and see them play Babe Ruth and go to the high school field again and watch them play Senior Babe Ruth, I think all those boys drew a big inspiration from the older boys winning the World Series.

“It’s a big deal to their psyche — hey, we can go. Senior Babe Ruth is in the regionals again. We can go back-to-back-to-back Mid County World Series, in all reality. They understand that, but we’re not putting that pressure on them. I bet you they haven’t even thought about it.”

Maybe half of the players, Baker surmises, aren’t aware Mid County is beginning play in the Babe Ruth 16- to 18-year-old Southwest Regional on Friday. That’s in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Here in Texas, a bunch of 14-year-olds from Mid County and Orange County representing the Nederland Babe Ruth League are playing in their own big stage.

https://www.facebook.com/portarthurnewssports/videos/1125437764264302/

They’re still soliciting help to get to Eagle Pass, located south of Del Rio on the Mexican border, for the Aug. 9-16 Babe Ruth 14-year-old World Series.

“We’re the only team that has to pay our way,” Baker said, hoping the team can reach a $30,000 goal. “The World Series is in Texas. The other teams, they get airfare paid for, they get hotel cars paid for, they get a rental car, they get food expenses.”

Nederland qualified by winning the East Texas state tournament July 1, defeating Wharton and Del Rio twice.

Tournament MVP Macoy Marze of Orangefield is said to have kept Nederland in every game and caught five runners stealing as a catcher.

“It felt good because I was catching good,” Marze said, “… catching runners stealing and all that.”

Not just because he drove in a go-ahead run on a double off a two-ball, two-strike pitch in the first game against Del Rio.

It’s an exciting time for outfielder/pitcher Ryley Chiasson of Port Neches. His father Bobby is coaching Port Neches Little League’s 12-year-old team in the Texas East state tournament starting Saturday, and his brother Ryder is on the club as well.

https://www.facebook.com/portarthurnewssports/videos/1125436147597797/

Yet, he’s still motivated by what Mid County did last August in Washington state.

“Last year, they played amazing,” Ryley Chiasson said. “They had a bunch of good players on that team. We’re just trying to be like them. Role models, of sorts.”

Nederland has won its last eight games, but 12 of the 15 players on the 14-year-old All-Stars have been playing together since March on the Mid County Baseball select travel team.

“I think they’re just coming together and starting to mix,” Baker said. “They play this Fortnight game together on the TV. They spend the night with each other.”

The chemistry is very important to Kyler Baker of Nederland, who pitched two of his team’s three wins in Wharton.

“It’s probably everything, to get to know each other better so we can do good on the baseball field,” he said.

•

I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews

 

**CORRECTS start date of Mid County Senior Babe Ruth’s Southwest Regional**