Abilene Wylie teams eye big things at Texas West State Little League Tournament
Last year’s Wylie Little League team set the bar pretty high for all 11- to 12-year-olds in the league that follow – including this year’s Little League team.
This year’s team hasn’t disappointed in reaching the Texas West Little League Tournament. But it still has to win this tournament and the Southwest Regional to give a Wylie another trip to Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
That could be a lot of pressure for a team of 11- and 12-year-old kids.
“Minds are a powerful thing,” Wylie manager Derek Tuley said. “There’s way we could perceive something, and it could go negative, or it could go positive. I think overall, they see it as a positive thing – something to aspire to, something that’s encouraging. If you go out there and work hard and get after it, good things can happen.”
Only two of the players on Wylie’s Little League Division team return from last year’s squad – Myles McCarty and Dillon Bruning. The rest of the team played on the 9- and 11-year-old team that bowed out in the Section 2 Tournament last season. And Bruning was brought up to the team for state.
Yet if the Wylie program has proven anything over the last decade or so, it’s that past success doesn’t intimidate any player wearing a Wylie uniform. And that’s from T-ball on up to high school. Wylie players expect to win.
“I think we’ve got a healthy pride in who we are and what we’re representing,” Tuley said. “I think that has to do with the work that gets put into everything from folks who are putting in time outside of games – field maintenance, practices, good work ethic, a good attitude.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of hard work that goes into it, and we want to make people out here proud – our families, but also guys who have played out here beforehand.”
Wylie (8-0) plays San Antonio McAllister Park at 6 p.m. Friday in the tournament opener at the Wylie Little League complex at Lake Kirby Park. Lubbock Western plays Corpus Christi Padre in the other opener at 8 p.m. Friday in the four-team, double-elimination tournament.
The two winners meet at 8 p.m. Saturday, and the title game is set for 9 a.m. Sunday. A second title game, if needed, would be played later Monday.
“The talent level is going to be greater than previous tournaments, but there’s also really good teams we’ve faced at sectionals and district,” Tuley said. “I know that’s prepared us, but I know these other teams have faced some tough teams.
“We want to have a good attitude, control what we can control, we compete, and our work is going to be put in. I think we’re going to have fun. We emphasis, you put in the work, and they go have fun on game day.”
Wylie 10-under team impresses
It’s not the only Wylie team in the state tournament. The 8- and 10-year-old team also won district and section titles to earn a spot on the big stage.
What’s remarkable is the fact this is the first year for all players on the team to play in all-star competition.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Wylie manager Brandon Lunsford said. “I feel like all those boys are having the summer of their lives right now. They’re loving every minute of it. They get upset when we say we’re having a short practice or we’re not practicing on a Sunday. As you can see, they’re having a lot of fun right now.”
Lunsford knew he had a special group when it beat Abilene Dixie 21-5 in the District 5 Tournament championship game on June 24 – just two days after dealing Dixie its first loss, a 14-4 decision.
“They put four runs on us in the first inning, and our boys immediately responded back,” Lunsford said. “Since that moment, it seems like they all just finally got it, and everything started clicking.”
Wylie (7-0) plays Midland Northern at 6 p.m. Friday in its opener, while San Antonio Alamo Heights takes on East Brownsville at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the other opener.
The two winners meet at 6 p.m. Saturday, and the title game is set for 9 a.m. Monday.
This is the furthest the age group can go. It’s not until the Little League Division that teams can advance past state.
Lunsford, an Ira grad, isn’t surprised at his team’s success.
“At the beginning of all this, I told them they had the talent to get here,” Lunsford said. “Now that we’re here, I told them, ‘Hey, there’s no more pressure. Let’s have fun and go win it.’”
Lunsford got a chance to see Northern play in the Section I title game Sunday.
“They’ve got a really good ballclub,” he said. “They play really fundamental.”
He expects Alamo Heights and East Brownsville to be solid teams as well.
“We’re expecting everybody to have a good ballclub,” Lunsford said. “There’s a lot of good baseball in the state of Texas. At this level, everybody’s is going to be good.”
Yet Lunsford believes his team has the ability to win the tournament, especially after a rousing 5-4 victory over Waco Midway in the Section 2 title game in Graford.
Midway scored two runs in the top of the sixth for a 4-3 lead.
“When the kids got to the dugout, they came over and the first words out of their mouths is, ‘Two runs isn’t enough. They should have had scored more. We’ve got this,’” Lunsford said.
Jack Runyan hit a one-out single, and Ryder Tiemann kept the game alive with a two-out single, putting runners on the corner. Anderson Amonett chased both home – hitting a walk-off, two-run double in the right center field gap on a 2-2 count.
“There was no doubt in their minds,” Lunsford said, recalling their mindset coming back to the dugout, down a run. “Us coaches didn’t have to say anything to them, because they came back with that attitude. It was crazy to see, crazy to witness.”
Rival praises Wylie’s success
Wylie sent three teams to the Section 2 tournament. The 9- and 11-year-old team came a win away from reaching the title game.
Wylie’s Intermediate Division team might be playing in the state tournament, but the Hubbard Creek Rangers – a team of Breckenridge and Albany players – beat them 3-1 and 17-6 en route to winning the District 5 title.
“They had a lot of talent, but we caught them on the right days,” Rangers’ manager Brad Woodward said. “If we played 10 times, we’d probably split with them. They’ve got a great coach over there who’s doing some cool stuff with those kids.”
While some rivals might bemoan Wylie’s success in baseball, Woodward, a Breckenridge native, praises the south Abilene program.
“It’s really lucky to have a Wylie that’s bringing everybody’s game up in this area,” Woodward said. “Everybody’s game gets better when you have somebody like Wylie that, year after year in every division, is competitive and winning.”
Woodward said he followed Wylie’s run to the Little League World Series intently last season.
Now, he’s hoping his Hubbard Creek team can make a little magic of its own. The Rangers opened the tournament Wednesday with a 10-7 victory over Medina Valley. They played Lubbock American in a late game Thursday night.
The state champion earns a berth in the Southwest Regional later this month in Houston. The region champ advances to the World Series in Livermore, California.
“I hope these other towns don’t have Wylie’s around that are bringing their game up,” Woodward said. “I hope we’re the ones that have the Wylie pushing everybody to get better. It’s been fun over the years competing with all these local Little Leagues. We’re getting to do it again. So, it doesn’t get much better than that.”
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene Wylie seeks titles at Texas West State Little League tourney
