The Clarksdale 7-year-old baseball all-stars came one game away from making the championship game at the state tournament in Hernando July 5 to 7.
Clarksdale lost Thursday, won Friday and Saturday mornings and Saturday afternoon but lost Saturday night for a 3-2 record. The team’s first tournament was in Oxford where they went 2-2.
“That set the tone for the remainder of our all-star season,” coach Brennan Chapman said. “We played some great team in Oxford.”
From there, the 7-year-olds won one tournament in Olive Branch and was the Ring Fling runner-up in Olive Branch.
“Those kids, they surpassed every one of our expectations because I didn’t think we were going to be tournament champions at any of them, but we did,” Chapman said.
However, Clarksdale lost to the Batesville Bombers twice in the state tournament and the Greenwood Vipers were the champions.
“There were two teams that had our number,” Chapman said.
Looking back on the season, Chapman had positive things to say about each one of his players.
Patrick Burton’s nickname was “Fish.”
“He is one of our team leaders,” Chapman said. “He is an all-star first baseman.”
Wesley Lawrence is a second baseman
“He’s a super, super fast player,” Chapman said, adding there were four very fast players on the team.
“At 7 years old, some of them are showing signs of being able to excel in the particular sport. He was one of them.”
Maddox Presley is a shortstop.
“Maddox consistently made good throws from shortstop to first base, which is not an easy task for 7-year-olds,” Chapman said.
Cash Moore plays third base.
“Cash is one of the stronger hitters on the team. He batted in the cleanup position for us for portions of the all-star year,” Chapman said.
Coach Chapman said he will be harder on his kids than other players, but his son, Reed Chapman, did not disappoint him on the mound.
“Reed did a fantastic job,” Coach Chapman said. “He’s a switch hitter. He bats from left and right side. He lays out for the ball. He’s not afraid to give 100 percent out there. That’s what I want from him.”
Will Young and Thomas Adam Campbell both played catcher.
“Both of our catchers were extremely good team players,” Coach Chapman said. “They were just about the team. At no point were they selfish. They were just about the team, alternating positions and playing where they needed to play.”
Jaxson Rice was in left field.
“What I could say about Jaxson is he shows more potential than anybody on that team,” Coach Chapman said. “He learned a ton. What I could expect from that kid is to be a star for youth baseball for years to come.”
Coach Chapman said Rice was one of the tallest kids on the team and has the best arm strength. More importantly, the coach said Rice follows instructions, says “Yes, Sir,” and looks everyone in the eye.
Blake Barton is in left/center field.
“He’s one of the smallest kids on the team, but throughout the all-star season, he was dependable,” Coach Chapman said. “He helped us make plays when we needed him to.”
Branton Brown is in right/center field.
“He was also one of our best hitters on the team throughout the entire all-star season,” Coach Chapman said. “He was so close at times to be able to hit a home run, we thought he was going to be able to do it. Next year, he might be able to do it.”
Stanley Dodson is in right field and was the only player on the team who could throw from right field to third base.
“Stanley is the smallest kid on the team, but he can out-throw every person on that team when he puts his mind to it,” Coach Chapman said.
The coach praised everyone.
“We had a terrific time,” Coach Chapman said. “I really enjoyed coaching those kids and getting to know all the parents. It was a lot of fun.”
