West Robeson coach pitch wins DYB state tournament

DUNN — The West Robeson coach pitch team left no doubt who is the best team in North Carolina in its division of Dixie Youth Baseball.

It’s them, and they’ve got a state championship trophy to prove it.

West Robeson won seven straight games to take the title at the Division I state tournament, held in Dunn from last Saturday through Wednesday.

“After districts, we saw some weaknesses we really worked on over the two weeks we had to practice, and they really came together and played very solid defense,” West Robeson coach Eric Freeman said. “I would say the key to our success in that tournament was we hit good enough to win, but our defense was solid the whole tournament. That was really our constant was our defense.”

The team’s state championship qualifies them for the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series, to be played July 26-30 in Orangeburg, South Carolina, about 40 miles south of Columbia.

West Robeson’s seven straight wins in Dunn included six by comfortable margins. It began with a 13-1 win over Stanley and an 18-5 win over Nash County in pool play on Saturday.

Entering bracket play, in a double-elimination format, West Robeson beat West Stanley 14-0 and Supper Optimist 11-5 on Monday, then beat Stanley 11-5 on Tuesday.

West Robeson reached the championship round with a 7-6 win over East Duplin on Wednesday, its closest game of the tournament, then beat Nash County 10-4 later Wednesday to seal the title.

“We controlled the pace of the games until later in the tournament,” Freeman said. “On Wednesday, I think fatigue, the heat kind of caught up with everybody, and we played good enough to win, but those games were much closer. Nash really came to play in the championship game, and East Duplin, the game leading up to the championship game, was a one-run game throughout most of the game. So they both came at us pretty hard.”

Caniyah Bullard was key defensively at shortstop, Freeman said. Leading hitters for the team included Asher Freeman, Jace Bullard and Jaxon Bullard.

“They all hit the ball very well, consistent throughout the whole tournament, which really gave us an opportunity to stay ahead for most of our games,” Eric Freeman said.

Team members include: Caniyah Bullard, Jace Bullard, Jaxon Bullard, Jase Chavis, Atticus Dial, Asher Freeman, Kendall Hunt, Landon Hunt, Nixan Jacobs, Braxon Locklear and Candon Locklear. Coaches are Eric Freeman, Kim Locklear, Lathan Bullard and Caleb Jacobs.

West Robeson advanced to the state tournament by winning the District 9 championship two weeks prior, played at the Dr. Raymond B. Pennington Athletic Complex in Lumberton.

Freeman will coach in the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series for the fourth time, though it is his first appearance with a coach pitch team after previously coaching older age groups.

“I think one of the things that I focus on that might be a little different is the mental preparation,” he said. “Making sure that we have positive vibes coming from the parents, positive vibes that we keep in the dugout, and not focus so much on ability as making sure everyone’s mentally prepared, from the coaches to the parents to the players.”

Part of that preparation is developing a detailed itinerary for the days of tournament play, trying to develop as much of a routine for the players as possible while playing away from home.

The on-field preparation begins now, as the team practices over the next couple of weeks ahead of their trip to Orangeburg, when they’ll face off against 11 other state champions.

“On the field, we’ll continue what we’re doing,” Freeman said. “We typically practice three to four times a week, so over the next two weeks we’ll work on our defense real hard. One of the things that we as coaches talked about is we need to practice our plan B. We did realize that after playing five or six games, some kids get hurt, some kids start to get sick, tired, and you need a plan B for every position, so that’s one of the things we’re going to focus on.”

Off the field, part of the World Series experience is logistical preparations, including travel and lodging for the players and their families. The team is currently raising money to cover as much of these expenses as possible.

“Our goal is to go down there and not add any financial burden to the parents,” Freeman said. “Because this started out as rec ball, you sign up for rec ball and pay your $20 registration fee, you have no idea you’re going to be hit with a $1,500 motel bill at the end of the year, plus having to take days off of work.”

Anyone interested in donating to help with the team’s expenses can contact Eric Freeman at 910-734-8801.

Other state tournaments

Red Springs played in the Division 2 coach pitch state tournament, also in Dunn, and was 1-2 in the event.

Five other Dixie Youth Baseball teams from Robeson County begin their state tournaments on Saturday:

— Ozone D1: Lumberton plays against West Chatham at 10 a.m. in Tabor City.

— Majors D1: West Robeson plays against tournament host Mount Holly at 12 p.m.

— Majors D2: Red Springs plays against Richlands at 2 p.m. in Lockwood Folly.

— AAA D1: Lumberton plays against South Columbus at 10 a.m. in Clarkton

— AAA D2: Red Springs plays against tournament host Lockwood Folly at 10 a.m.