Currently viewing the tag: "minors"

Tournament Time Is Here

By On · Add Comment · In Sports News

Ryan Tokar, Thurmont Little League

The regular season has come to an end at Thurmont Little League (TLL), but there is still a lot of baseball to be played! As the normal slate of games concluded, the league quickly moved into All-Star and tournament season. First up were the TLL In-House All-Star games for the T-ball and Instructional (Coach Pitch) divisions, which were held on Tuesday, June 13.

Representatives from T-ball included Lucy Liller, Gabe Shankle, Maverick Cox, Brailey Hammock, Carter Rodas, Brenton Tull, Billy Sullivan, Andrew Smith, Tinsley Young, Rylee Oden, Carson Lingg, Kellam Robertson, Tucker Long, Chance Grimes, Emmet Amyot, Everett Oxenford, Cash Burrier, and Ryder Murray.

The Coach Pitch rosters were made up of Jon Rose, Caleb Lynn, Caleb Valentine, Tyler Roderick, Declan Myers, Michael Mendez, Parker Ketterman, Wyatt Breeden, Addison Lingg, Abel Boone, Braxton Lovejoy, Eli Yanke, Jackson Boyer, Knox Devries, Colton Grimes, Logan Otto, Jett Derr, Brantley Steinhour, Chase Stine, Gage Baugher, Zachary Montgomery, and Michael McGinnis. Congrats to all of these future stars on a great season of baseball!

The Minor League division post-season kicked off with their In-House playoffs, which included a host of extremely hard-fought games, culminating in the Cougars becoming this year’s champions, overcoming a valiant fight by the Rays. Both teams put forth a tremendous amount of effort and displayed excellent sportsmanship throughout the game.

The Cougars were managed by Darryl Dextradeur, with assistants Kevin Rickerd, Kevin Rabbit, Anthany Wolfe, and Nathan Fritz. The roster included players Bryce Rickerd, Julian Thompson, Colson Wolfe, Payton Fritz, Logan Smith, William Fletcher, Liam Ecker, Brayden Constable, Joseph Fogle, Leland Beach, and Marshall Frey. Congrats to the Cougars on a successful campaign.

Next up was the Minors In-House All-Star Game, featuring Brayden Nash, Luke Wiles, Brooks Otto, Aaron Oden, Tyler Warfield, Bryce Yocum, Angus Riddle, Wade Wolfe, Julian Thompson, Bryce Rickerd, Payton Fritz, Marshall Frey, James Hewitt, Dennis Smith, Liam Delawter, Cole McCauley, Josh Tingler, Jace Fisher, Devin Riffle, Scarlett Riffle, Chris Kehne, Jerome Turner, Lewis Turner, and John Clements. These teams put on quite a display of athleticism for the fans in attendance and showcased the up-and-coming talent at TLL.

Additionally, there will be a Minors All-Star team traveling to play in the Emory Frye Memorial Tournament. Managed by Darryl Dextradeur, the team will be made up of Marshall Frey, Payton Fritz, Bryce Rickerd, Julian Thompson, James Hewitt, Cole McCauley, Brayden Nash, Brooks Otto, Dennis Smith, Garret Troxell, Luke Wiles, and Riley Workman.

TLL is also proud to announce a softball All-Star team for this year, represented by Madison Oden, Ella Rose, Ella Flanary, Hadley Crone, Dixie Eckenrode, Hannah Crone, Emma Stevens, Aubree Shull, Abby Shankle, Joclyn Cassidy, Kiley Long, Kathryn Bradhsaw, Kinsley Bowlus, Erin McGrew, Demi Hudson, and Tori Brown.

The Majors Division was represented by two teams in end-of-season tournaments as well. The second-place Warriors and Manager Chris Merriman played in the Dave Fogle Tournament at Frederick National Little League. The team gave it their all and made it all the way to the Championship game, but they came up just short against a very good team from Lower Montgomery County. Meanwhile, the Thurmont Bucks, coached by Rick Reeder, played in the Gregg Quedeweit Memorial Tournament of Champions right here at Thurmont Little League. The Bucks had a remarkable season, losing only one game in league play. They started strong with wins over Montgomery County Upper and Frederick American, but, ultimately, they would lose in a very hard-fought game to the eventual champion, the Brunswick Cubs, in the third round. Overall, it was a great season for these boys, and they made all of us at TLL proud.

There will be three All-Star teams representing TLL in District 2 Tournament play. The 10-12-year-old team, managed by Jeff Kuhn, includes Tucker Bryant, Callen Edmonston, Bradley Goodard, Parker Hahn, Shawn Livingston, Reed McCauley, Brayden Rickerd, Ethan Tokar, Weston Tyler, Jeremy Veronie, Bracen Webb, Eli Yocum, Noah Bradbury, and Luke Berg. The 9-11-year-old team began their District 2 Tournament on June 25. This team will be managed by Nathan Laird, and the roster includes Joey Blentlinger, Desean Brown, Nathan Camilleri, James Clements, Kaiden Dewees, Chase Dumas, Marshall Frey, Chance Kruger, Evan Laird, Wesley Meekins, Brooks Otto, and Riley Workman. Finally, there will be an 8-10 team, consisting of Levi Baker, Nemo Dewees, Payton Fritz, James Hewitt, Riggins Koenig, Cole McCauley, Brayden Nash, Owen Ott, Bryce Rickerd, Dennis Smith, Julian Thompson, and Luke Wiles. Darryl Dextradeur will also manage this team. Congratulations and best of luck to all the teams participating in tournaments this summer.

Be sure to check out next month’s edition for a full update on All-Star tournament play, as well as a recap of several fun events TLL will be taking part in this summer.

Fall registrations will be opening later this summer as well, so be sure to sign up to be a part of a tremendous organization!

The first-place Thurmont Bucks represented TLL in the Tournament of Champions.

Minors Division players celebrate after their Championship game.

Thurmont Little League Opening Day

By On · Add Comment · In Featured Articles

Blair Garrett

The sun may not have been shining, but the smiles and laughter of 100 Little Leaguers surely brightened a cloudy day.

Opening day for Thurmont Little League (TLL) kicked off April 6, marking the organization’s 67th year providing kids with an athletic outlet in a supportive, team-oriented environment.

It was a day of fun, excitement, and giving thanks to everyone who makes Thurmont Little League baseball the great organization that it is today.

“We have a lot of people who are helping out to make this run smoothly,” TLL President Jeremy Johnson said. “I want to make sure we give all of our volunteers a round of applause.”

Above all, youth baseball is about teaching the future generation values and skills that they will remember for the rest of their lives. “We all have one goal here, and it’s for these kids to have fun,” said TLL President Jeremy Johnson.  

After opening statements, the area’s favorite Little League teams came storming onto the field, marching out with their coaches, managers, and team moms. The Majors were brought out first, sporting the league’s oldest players, followed by the Intermediate Division, the Minors, the Instructionals, and the Tee Ball teams. The day’s honorary MC was Brian Mo, afternoon DJ at 99.9 WFRE, who was responsible for pumping up the crowd for an exciting start to the TLL season.

Mo had each little leaguer recite the Little League pledge, confirming their dedication to playing hard and playing fair throughout the season.

The community support in Thurmont for youth baseball has been remarkable, particularly over the past few years, and that was recognizable multiple times during the Opening Day ceremony. 

“This community is amazing,” Mo said. “I’ve lived in many places in my life and my radio career, and I have never seen a community like Thurmont. You guys are amazing; keep doing what you’re doing, and keep being involved with these kids.”

The volunteer support, coaching, and effort put forth by everyone involved with Little League baseball has put Thurmont teams on the map during recent seasons. TLL teams have won multiple state and district championships across all age groups since 2015, largely in part to the attention and time dedicated by the volunteers that make Thurmont Little League possible.

Paul “PJ” Nicholson, stood out among the group, while TLL President Johnson read a few quotes from family and friends who know Nicholson. “PJ believes in playing hard, working harder, giving back to the community, and being a great friend to young and old alike,” Johnson said. “PJ’s love for family goes beyond blood. His extended family is Thurmont Little League.” After the passage of kind words,  praising Nicholson’s efforts for TLL, Johnson unveiled the real surprise.

“With that said, our minor league field is no longer called our minor league field. It is now called ‘Nicholson field.’” Nicholson’s response to the love from his closest friends was short and sweet, but there was no shortage of emotion in the crowd.

As the opening ceremony came to a close, there was only one more piece of business to address before the kids were ready to take the field. “The season can’t start without a first pitch, right?” Mo asked, adding, “Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Tony Testa, owner of Rocky’s Pizza and proud supporter of Thurmont Little League.” Testa’s pitch brought about hundreds of screaming little leaguers, and with that, TLL’s 2019 season commenced.

Opening Day not only signifies the beginning of a year of fun and competition for the kids of Northern Maryland, but it also offers fans, parents, and TLL supporters a chance to take a step back and appreciate the great opportunities that organized sports provide their children to learn and grow. The Little League season may have just begun, but the lessons and camaraderie young baseball players experience during their time with TLL will last a lifetime.