LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The South Lexington 12u and 10u all-star teams will be representing the state of Kentucky in the Cal Ripken World Series this week.
Both teams were celebrated by the community Monday evening at Peel Field at Shilito Park.
The 12u all-stars will look to become the fourth 12u team in South Lexington history to bring home a Cal Ripken World Series title. Its last title was in 2007.
"We want this really bad," said 12u all-star Jordan Head. "Just to see that there have been three 12-year-old teams in this South Lexington thing to win this tournament, it makes it a lot more special for us to win it if we came out and pulled it out and won it."
12u will also be playing for one of their teammates, Landon Levenson, who hurt his leg earlier this season while attempting to catch a fly ball in the outfield.
"We're playing for him, he's a big part of our team. He's a key piece lost but I feel like we'll pull together and play for him," said Head.
The 10u all-stars are looking to accomplish something that's never been done before, winning a Cal Ripken World Series of their own.
"We'd be very excited and probably have a party," said 10u all-star Bryce Blackerby. "We would celebrate and thank our coaches and thank this team for helping us get to where we're going now."
10u will be competing in Palm Beach Gardens, Fl. August 6-13, while 12u will be competing in Branson, Mo. August 5-14.
"It's been great, the community coming out to support us and to support these guys who've done a lot of work over the years," said 12u baseball coach Jason Binder. "We're really proud of all of the work they've put in and we're looking forward to where we can go from here."
"It's a great experience," said 10u baseball coach Brandon Jones. "These kids have been together for a long time. Most of them have been together since age 5 and on the way up we've brought some new kids into the mix but it's a great opportunity."
