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STEVE LEEThe majority of the Land O'Lakes all-stars played for the A's, who went 23-0 and won the Tournament of Champions.
LAND O'LAKES - Two summers ago, the Land O'Lakes Junior Baseball All-Stars came within one win of a World Series berth.
No team in the league's 33-year history had ever made it as far as that 2002 team (15-3) that won district, sectional and state titles before bowing out in the Southern Region final.
Another Land O'Lakes all-star squad in that same age group might have the makings for a similar run.
Land O'Lakes' 12-man roster includes seven players from the Junior A's, who capped a 23-0 season by winning a District 25 Tournament of Champions title.
The A's went 18-0 in the regular season and 5-0 in the tournament, defeating Antioch 5-2 in the final. That record included eight shutouts.
"Unbelievable," manager Ray Clark said. "It was amazing to us."
Clark, who will manage the Land O'Lakes Junior Baseball all-stars, credited a heavy dose of practice for the unbeaten season.
"Hard work with practice four times a week," he said. "I bet no other teams did that."
Matt Fuglesang, who went 10-0 during the regular season, earned the win in the title game.
David Vente led Land O'Lakes with a .525 batting average, and George Clark had a team-high 26 RBIs.
Zephyrhills' Junior Softball team, the Express, also won a District 25 championship. They capped a 13-2 regular season with three tournament victories.
The Express opened the series with a 13-5 win over North Seminole before defeating Lutz twice, 4-3 and 9-0 in the final.
The Lazar twins, Colesa and Colena, pitched in all three playoff games. Brittney Blanyar, Brittany Lawler, Chelsea Madl, Ashley Snyder and the Lazars had doubles during the tournament. In District 14, the Shady Hills Red Sox won a 9-10 Baseball title in a Top Team tournament. Shady Hills went 4-0 and beat Dunnellon 15-5 in the final.
Pitcher Patrick Flammia went 2-0 in the series and earned the win against Dunnellon.
Daniel Thrasher and Josh Wordell-Rand, who hit seventh and eighth in the Red Sox lineup, had clutch hits during the final game. Thrasher had three hits, including two doubles, and Wordell-Rand went 2-for-3.
"That's how you win, really," Shady Hills manager Kent Burgan said. "The bottom-of-the-order kids got on base."