Anson youth baseball teams make history with first trip to Dixie Youth World Series
“Sometimes you miss out, but I feel like baseball’s better than vacation,”
Polkton, N.C. (WBTV) - Most kids spend the last weeks of summer vacation at the beach.
But the kids at Anson Athletic Youth Association’s Field of Dreams have work left to do before they return to school.
They wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Sometimes you miss out, but I feel like baseball’s better than vacation,” O-zone rightfielder Micah Carpenter said.
The AAYA Minors and O-Zone All-Star teams made history earlier this month, winning their respective North Carolina state tournaments and becoming the first teams ever from Anson County to represent the Tar Heel state at the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series in Louisiana.
“That’s probably going to go in the record books,” O-Zone centerfielder Cedric Ford said.
After years of coming up just short, Anson now has two teams heading to play on one of the biggest stages of youth baseball.
“It was almost like a weight was lifted off you, you know you work so hard,” minors head coach Kyle Eudy said. “Getting that final out was special.”
Beyond one centerfield wall at the Field of Dreams sits a large wooden sign that spells out “Anson Pride.”
For the players wearing their county across their chest, it means a lot to represent their small community on the big stage.
“It means a whole lot, because you don’t want to let anyone down,” Carpenter said. “So you want to win for them.”
The majority of the players on both teams have played together for years. Now the kids who play on the Field of Dreams, get to make a dream come true before going back to school.
“We keep telling the kids that this is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of chance to go to the World Series,” Eudy said. “Just soak up every moment.”
Both teams begin their respective tournaments on Thursday, July 27. Full brackets and schedules for the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series can be found here.
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