Armstrong: Hope Mills team heading to World Series
By Bruce Armstrong
Change is inevitable. Those who can adapt to change succeed, and those who can't, don't. We should honor traditions of the past while having the courage to try new ways of doing things.
The Hope Mills "O''Zone All-Stars and their coaches did exactly that, and they did it in championship style. They are the 2010 North Carolina Dixie "O''Zone state champions and advance to the Dixie "O''Zone World Series in Lexington, S.C. World Series competition begins July 31.
Hope Mils will face the host team, Lexington, in the opening round. The game is slated for 8 p.m.
Dixie "O''Zone is a new program for youth 12 and under. It adopts the field dimensions and pitching and base-running rules as used by USSSA and AAU travel teams. It represents Dixie Youth's response to the increasing competition from travel teams for players' allegiance.
In traditional Dixie Youth and Little League 12-and-under competition, bases are 60 feet apart, the mound is 46 feet from home plate, runners must stay on their base until the pitch crosses home plate, pitchers use a wind-up, even with runners on base, and umpires do not call balks. In USSSA, AAU and "O''Zone 12-and-under leagues, the bases are 70 feet apart, the mound is 50 feet from home plate, runners can lead off and steal when the pitcher throws home, pitchers use a stretch delivery with runners on base and umpires call balks. It is "real" baseball.
Proponents of "O''Zone argue that it better prepares top players for future school team competition by teaching base-running skills, proper pitching mechanics to keep base runners from stealing and by giving batters a chance to put more balls in play which in turn improves defensive skills. I totally agree with all those arguments for "O''Zone.
The only negatives I see are that not every recreation league will have enough pitching talent to throw strikes from 50 feet, and many traditional Dixie Youth and Little League parks are not easily converted to the larger "O''Zone dimensions.
Perhaps most importantly, the "O''Zone program is attractive to highly-skilled players who also play on private travel teams and who are frequently leaving recreation programs. I predict the "O''Zone program will grow rapidly in popularity. I hope it keeps more top players on recreation league all-star teams.
The Hope Mills "O''Zone All-Stars are led by head coach Clarence Maxwell and assistant coaches Blaine Harris and Mark Pribble. These coaches did a great job teaching their players the more sophisticated "O''Zone game in a very brief period of time. Our middle school coaches will benefit from the players' experience playing "real baseball."
The state champion Hope Mills All-Stars include Zachery Bagley, David Bishop Jr., Yuuki Chilcutt, James Hair, Logan Harris, Robert Heimingway III, Andrew Jayne, Christian Jayne, Thomas Lindsay, Daniel Owens, Austin Rivers and Andrew Sabalboro.
In Game 1 of the state tournament, Hope Mills defeated Albemarle, 12-4, with Hair the winning pitcher and Bishop hitting a home run. In Game 2, Hope Mills defeated North Stanly, 13-3, behind winning pitcher Hemingway as the team pounded 15 hits. Game 3 was a 10-0 victory over South Stanly with Bishop the winning pitcher and hitting another home run. Hope Mills suffered its only loss in Game 4 as Reidsville won, 11-7. The team bounced back in Game 5 with a 6-1 victory over West Stanly as Bishop pitched a complete game and Hair hit a home run. That win put Hope Mills in the championship game against Reidsville with both teams having one loss. Hope Mills won the championship, 3-2, led by pitcher Sabalboro's complete game and Owens' home run.
Winning state championships is a Hope Mills tradition, and these players and coaches should be very proud to carry on that tradition in a challenging new program. Hope Mills should be a leader in making Dixie Youth a more attractive program.
I encourage local fans to support the "O''Zone All-Stars financially as they do fundraisers for their World Series trip. Hopefully many fans will make the short trip to Lexington to cheer on our boys.
See you at the World Series.
Bruce Armstrong is a lawyer who lives in Hope Mills. He can be reached at LawyerArmstrong@aol.com.