Greenville baseball teams continued their state tournament dominance on Wednesday night and Thursday morning at Wilson’s Gillette Athletic Complex, as the Tar Heel 9-11 and 10-12 Little League teams grabbed state crowns.
With a loss still to give, Tar Heel 9-11 cruised past Lake Norman in an 8-0 rout to win the championship on Wednesday night before the 10-12s followed suit with a 10-0 shutout of Bull City on Thursday morning.
This is the third straight 9-11 year-old state championship for Tar Heel and the ninth overall for Greenville Little League. Since the age group’s inception, Tar Heel has won six (2010, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024) state titles and North State (2007, 2016, 2021) has won three.
The Tar Heel 9-11 club left little doubt as to which team was the best as it swept through the bracket, winning four straight games and outscoring opponents 38-7 in the process. The only game that was somewhat close was a 5-2 over East Chatham in the opening round, and the 9-11s won their last two games by a combined 18-0.
Members of the 9-11 team include Wyatt Graham, Cayden McNeill, Lawson Massey, Thomas Moye, Graham Tadlock, Akeem Brown, Tripp Dixon, Bruce Tyndall, Thomas D’Alonzo, Brynson Purvis, Mayson James, Bray Willett, manager Jeremy Willett, assistant coach Trey Haddock and assistant coach Brooks Dixon.
Tar Heel advances to the Tournament of State Champions hosted by Wilson City Little League starting July 27 at Southern Bank Stadium.
Tar Heel will compete against state champion teams from the Little League Southeast Region states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The Tournament of State Champions is a “special games” tournament per Little League rules, meaning there is no World Series for this age division.
The 10-12s also swept through the state tournament by winning four games and outscoring opponents 45-3. The team also boasted a tournament-best 1.05 ERA. Tar Heel 10-12 defeated Cherryville (12-0), Lake Norman (7-0), East Chatham (16-3), and Bull City en route to capturing the state title.
This is the first 10-12 year old state championship for Greenville since 2021. Tar Heel has now captured 12 (1957, 1964, 1970, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2021, 2024) state championships in this age group while North State has secured three (1984, 2017, 2018).
Members of the 10-12 team include Mason Lanier, Easton Meadows, Rob Rhodes, Mason Williams, Conner Senatore, Cannon Warren, Brayden Winfield, Jackson Jabs, Logan Kendrick, Tilghman Dody, Collin Linkous, Haiden Simo, manager Raymie Styons, assistant coach Scott Senatore and assistant coach Brack Massey.
Tar Heel 10-12 advances to the Little League Baseball Southeast Region Tournament at Southeast Park in Warner Robins, Ga., where it will compete against state champion teams from the Little League Southeast Region states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia for the Southeast region championship and a trip to the Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
Greenville has appeared in the Little League Baseball World Series twice - in 1998 (Tar Heel) and 2017 (North State).
Tar Heel opens play in Warner Robins on Aug. 1 against the Georgia state champion. First pitch is slated for 10 a.m. and the contest will stream live on ESPN+.
For more information on the Little League Baseball Southeast Region Tournament, visit littleleague.org/region/southeast.
AAU basketball
Play continued on Wednesday and Thursday for Greenville-based AAU basketball teams at the 2024 NTBA Boys National Championship II in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Among them was the IGI Red team (8th grade), which jumped to 2-0 in divisional play after running past D1 Sports Academy 70-59 to take sole possession of first place in the C Division.
IGI Red took on the Beach City Mambas on Thursday afternoon. The event ends Saturday.
In the 5th grade division, IGI Blue lost its second game on Wednesday to CRU Basketball to fall to 0-2. The Blue squad took on GCYA on Thursday.
Thursday
IGI Red improved to a perfect 3-0 in Thursday's divisional play as it took down the Beach City Mambas, 59-28, to remain atop Division C heading into Friday's elimination games.
IGI Red was set to take on 2-1 Robeson United on Friday afternoon. Play concludes on Saturday with championship games.
In the fifth grade level, the IGI Blue team won its first game of the week to improve to 1-2.
The Blue squad beat GCYA, 42-30, and was scheduled to play Team Thunder in Friday's action.
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