State Champs

HERITAGE HARBOUR — Ten-year-old first baseman Mack Woolever isn’t one to dwell on the past.

But he doesn’t worry about what the future holds, either.

Instead, the Manatee Cal Ripken 9U All-Star focuses on what he can control now.

Whether he’s stepping up to the plate or trotting onto the infield, Woolever knows that no matter what happens, his teammates will be there to pick him up when he falls and celebrate when the time is right.

“We never put our heads down,” Woolever says. “If one of us commits an error, we don’t get caught up in it. We just move on to the next play, get the out and come back (in the next inning) and get a hit.”

It’s that mindset that has helped carry Manatee to a perfect 17-0 record over the past eight weeks — and one that propelled the team to a state championship.

In front of dozens of fans in their home ballpark, Manatee went 5-0 to win the Cal Ripken Florida State Championship July 10 through July 13.

Manatee outscored its opponents 49-18 throughout the four-day tournament, defeating Oviedo (7-4), Fort Lauderdale (13-5), Okeeheelee (9-4) and Palm Beach Gardens (8-3) before beating North Brandon 12-2 in the championship game.

“It was exciting,” 10-year-old pitcher Jaden Stockton says. “We’ve been playing hard and working hard. We never back down, and now we’re the best team in Florida.”

Woolever agrees.

“We have a great group of guys that know how to play baseball really well,” Woolever says. “Our team is pretty good. We were undefeated up until that (point) and we just came out and played our best.”

Manatee’s core group of players have played together since they were 4 years old. As they’ve moved up through Cal Ripken’s ranks, they’ve learned one another’s strengths and weaknesses, and all have a genuine love for the game, which is evidenced by their approach to practices and tournaments.

The players look for any excuse to stay on the field, whether taking a few more reps in the batting cages or starting a pickup game of their own.

“This is a group of kids that loves to play baseball,” coach Marc Hanson says. “They don’t complain about having to go to practice. They love to play, and they are hardworking baseball players. That’s what’s driving them.”

When Manatee Cal Ripken learned last season that it would host this year’s state tournament, Hanson and his fellow coaches believed that if the players stuck together, they could make a name for themselves.

Manatee breezed through the state tournament for the most part, but there was a moment early on when the team found itself on the opposite end of the scoreboard. The players stayed focused on the next play.

“These guys don’t quit,” Hanson says. “They don’t panic. They play just as hard when they are down as they play when they are up. It’s the same tempo throughout the game.”

As the state champions, Manatee advanced to the Southeast Regional tournament, which began July 23 and runs through July 27, in Palm Beach Gardens.

This tournament marks the third-consecutive year that an All-Star team from Manatee has advanced to the Southeast Regional.

“It just shows the quality of coaches and players that we have in a small area,” league commissioner Mike Stockton says.

Manatee is one of 16 teams from Virginia to Florida vying for the regional title. The team will play a series of pool play games with the top two teams in each four-team pool advancing to single elimination.

“We just have to play our best and take each game at a time,” 9-year-old right fielder Ryan Hanson says. “Everyone’s heart for the game (is what drives us).”

Roster
Justin Hildreth
Drew Marra
Ryan Combs
Mason McReynolds
Jaden Stockton
Mack Woolever
Ryan Hanson
Ryan O’Sullivan
Tristan Schellinger
Liam Senkow
Ashton Lamb
Stone Russell

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].