West Robeson 12U team advances to DYWS
Jul. 30—LUMBERTON — When the Dixie Youth World Series takes place in Lumberton starting next week, the host teams won't be the only ones representing Robeson County on the field.
The West Robeson Majors team (age 12-and-under) won the state championship last weekend to advance to the World Series.
"It's been a great journey. We felt like we had a strong team; the kids have been working real hard," coach Eric Freeman said. "We had a couple tough game in states, marginal, a big hit here and there helped us pull it out. Our pitching did really well, our defense did really well. Our hitting's really solid as well."
The tournament originated in Leland, but due to weather issues the final game was moved to the Raymond B. Pennington Athletic Complex in Lumberton, which will host the World Series. West Robeson defeated Whiteville 6-2 in the championship game; both teams will advance to the World Series due to an uneven number of participating states in that division.
West Robeson won the district tournament without a loss; it lost to Leland in the state tournament before emerging from the losers bracket to take the title.
"When you go to a tournament like that, when you get to the state tournament, every team has one good pitcher, possibly two really good pitchers," Freeman said. "We were just lucky and fortunate this year to be able to take a really deep pitching rotation, and didn't have to depend on one or two pitchers to march us through the tournament; we were able to start a kid every night."
Team members include Seth Brooks, Jayden Bryant, Eli Freeman, Drew Gause, Ayden Hammond, Zayin Hunt, Brayden Locklear, Christian Locklear, Dakota Locklear, Brylin McNeil, Joseden Oxendine, Kade Oxendine; in addition to Freeman, the team is coached by Corey Hammond and Darin Locklear.
West Robeson's Majors team went to the World Series last year in Laurel, Mississippi and finished third. Six players from that team are also on this year's team — Brooks, Freeman, Ayden Hammond, Christian Locklear, Dakota Locklear and Joseden Oxendine.
"It's not often that teams go back to back and win a state championship, especially in this league because the turnover's so high," Freeman said. "That was one of the big talks of the tournament. I don't think this team is better than last year's; I don't think last year's is better than this years. The chemistry is just a little different, so they were able to fill the spots that we lost, and it kind of worked out."
This time, the team won't have to travel as far to play on the championship-level stage — though Freeman says that's both a good thing and a bad thing. As a coach, Freeman says he appreciated being able to keep the team together while they traveled — and mentally and physically prepared for the games — compared to this year when the coaches will see the players just an hour before the game.
"It's great that it's at home, great for our state, great for that, but there's a lot to be said about the experience of going to Mississippi to play," Freeman said. "Personally, I'm glad it's in Lumberton, but for the experience the kids are going to miss, going to Mississippi or going to Alabama, or going to wherever, it's a split."
Freeman expects a lot of fans, including many who would not be able to travel out of state to watch the team play, to attend the games in Lumberton.
The World Series will be held in Lumberton for the Majors and "O"Zone divisions, for age 12 and under, and the Minors division, for age 10 and under. A host team from Lumberton will participate in each division. In addition to the West Robeson and Whiteville Majors teams, an "O"Zone team from Hope Mills has also advanced to the World Series, providing additional participation from the Sandhills region.
Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at cstiles@robesonian.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @StilesOnSports.
