Gators compete on national stage

Every time he steps onto the field, 11-year-old Colton Vincent looks to make the next great play.

The Rawlings Gators catcher has been involved in his fair share of memorable plays — from helping turn his team’s first-ever double play last year to making diving catches in the outfield.

But there’s still one ESPN worthy highlight that eludes him — hitting a walk-off home run.

“That’s my dream moment,” Colton said.

Now, Colton is hoping to turn his dream into reality as he and his Gators teammates take the field in the AAU Grand National Baseball Championships at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Walt Disney World.

The Gators qualified for the national tournament, which began June 26 and runs through July 1, after finishing third at the AAU State Tournament May 8. The top four teams advanced to the national tournament.

The national tournament features teams from across the country, including teams from Texas, Florida, California and South Carolina, among others, as well as a team from Guatemala.

“It’s so fun,” Colton said of the tournament. “If you do good then you can get your play put on TV, so you strive to play hard every single game.”

“We’ve worked hard all year to get to Disney,” 12-year-old Brandon Raynor said. “Our goal is to win or at least finish in the top three. We just have to practice hard and work hard to get there.”

The Gators opened the tournament June 26 with their first three games against teams from Texas, Tampa and Jacksonville. As of press time Tuesday, the Gators were 1-2; they defeated the CBC Scorpions 4-1 to advance to the Gold Pool Play round.

Last season, the Gators finished sixth in the national tournament, which featured 34 teams in their division, and coach Joe Rizzo is hoping to at least match if not improve upon last year’s performance.

“I’d say sixth or higher,” Rizzo said. “I can’t expect anything lower, but you never know — anything can happen.

“One thing I can say about this team is they don’t give up,” Rizzo said. “It could be the sixth inning with two outs, and they’ll find a way to get runs. We’ve come back in the sixth inning and ended up winning a couple of times.”

The Gators formed about three years ago after Colton, Rizzo’s son, A.J., and a handful of other players decided to forego playing Little League and instead focus on playing at a higher level year-round.

Since then, the team has developed a unique chemistry that has allowed them to come together and excel on the field as a team.

“We’ve been together and bonded,” A.J. said. “We’ve stuck together and gelled. We play together as a team, and hopefully we can keep that up at Disney and strive to do our best.”

The Gators, which have 12 players on the roster, practice once a week. The players also work on their hitting at Big League Experience.

The players’ hard work has paid off this year, because the Gators have finished third or better in three of their last four tournaments, including a second-place finish at the GSA Spring Extreme April 10.

Following the tournament, the Gators will take about a month off over the summer before returning to the field until their next break in mid-December.

For more information on the Rawlings Gators 11U travel baseball team visit its website at www.rawlingsgators.com.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].