Little League

East Lake seeks more perfection

The Junior Baseball team heads into today's World Series opener unbeaten this postseason.

By BRANDON WRIGHT
Published August 14, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - The East Lake Junior Baseball team, as it has done most of the summer, will make history when it steps on the field tonight.

No other team from its Little League has ever made it this far. But then, no East Lake team had made the Southern Region either.

This summer has been one of firsts for East Lake and tonight's opening game of the Junior League (ages 13-14) Baseball World Series, at 8:15 against St. Joe Central from Fort Wayne, Ind., is no exception.

"Making it to where we have really gives me a sense of justification," East Lake manager Manuel Franco said. "From Day 1, I put these kids through some really grueling workouts in hopes of accomplishing something special. To actually see things go according to plan is rewarding."

The 10-team tournament, broken up into two five-team pools, opens today in Taylor, Mich. There are United States and International pools, each playing a round-robin format. The top two in each pool reach the semifinals, with the U.S. winner and International winner facing off in the title game. The championship is scheduled for Aug. 20 and will be telecast on tape-delay Aug. 30 on ESPN2.

"This whole thing has been such a great experience," rightfielder Ryan Hughes said. "We are just playing with so much confidence right now."

And this team has good reason for that: it doesn't know losing. East Lake is 18-0 in the postseason, including Wednesday's 4-3 win against North Carolina in the South Region final at Cartersville, Ga.

"It's cool traveling and playing baseball in other states," catcher Tyler Coats said. "I knew some of the guys on the team before, but getting to be better friends with the guys on the team has been the best part."

East Lake will have its hands full to remain perfect. St. Joe Central outscored its opponents 52-9 in region play, including a 16-1 drubbing of Burlington, Iowa in the championship game. Franco, however, seemed unfazed.

"This team is really starting to click on a high level and it's been fun watching that progression throughout the summer," he said. "If we continue to do that, we'll be fine."

[Last modified August 14, 2005, 00:55:04]