State Bound

+Lakewood Ranch Little League 11- and 12-year-old All-Stars

Caden Chamberlin

PJ Fincher 

Stone Frishman

Nico Hadad

Conner Krug

Jake Krug

Conner Losada

Cam Martin

Dalton Roby

John Schroeder 

Sean Vitug

Ryan Waldschmidt 

Alden Wright

Chase Yniguez 

+By the Numbers 

65 — Runs Lakewood Ranch scored in the District 26 and Section IV Little League All-Star Tournaments. 

2 — Runs Lakewood Ranch has allowed through five games. 

0 — Games the Lakewood Ranch 11- and 12-year-old All-Stars have lost thus far. 

6 — Players who played on last year’s Lakewood Ranch Little League 11- and 12-year-old All-Star team. 

8 — Teams that will play for the state title July 31 and Aug. 1. 

LAKEWOOD RANCH — During the year, the 14 players of the Lakewood Ranch Little League usually see their teammates in a different way — as competitors on an opposing team.  

But each summer, after trying out and making the All-Star team, the 11- and 12-year-olds come together to compete at the highest level for their age — and for a chance to go to the Little League World Series. 

But first, they have to prove they are the best team in Florida. They'll get that chance this weekend. 

Lakewood Ranch already is one of the top eight teams in the state, having won district and sectional titles earlier this month. 

“I knew we had the talent to get to the state tournament if we played together as a team,” 12-year-old outfielder Alden Wright says. “Luckily we’ve been able to gel together and do that.” 

Lakewood Ranch will take the field in the State of Florida Tournament July 31 through Aug. 1, at Northwest Leon Little League, in Tallahassee.  Lakewood Ranch will play in Pool B along with Section 6 champion Sarasota American. The two local teams will face one another in the tournament opener. 

“It’s a tough start,” coach John Schroeder says. “We can’t take it for granted. They want to win just as much as we want to win. Hopefully our maturity will help us.” 

Lakewood Ranch will play three pool games, and the top team in each of the two pools will advance to the state championship. The winner of this year’s state tournament will represent Florida in the Little League Baseball Southeast Regional Tournament Aug. 7 through Aug. 13, in Warner Robbins, Ga. The winning team will advance to the Little League World Series. 

“These are some of the best baseball players that I’ve ever known and are really deserving of a state championship,” Wright says. “It would be a dream come true.” 

Teammate Jake Krug agrees. 

“It would mean a lot knowing we’re the best team in Florida,” the 12-year-old first baseman says. “Plus we would get to be on ESPN in the next tournament.” 

Six players on this year’s 11- and 12-year-old All-Star team were on last year’s 10- and 11-year-old All-Star team, which earned a spot in the state tournament. The team had high expectations heading into last summer’s tournament, but a pair of early losses in pool play eliminated the team from contention. 

It’s a moment they would rather soon forget. And it’s one moment they would prefer not to experience again. 

So this season, the coaching staff has taken a new approach. 

While Lakewood Ranch boasts even more talent this season, the players aren’t looking at what lies ahead. Instead, the coaches are trying to get the players to focus on each game, while stressing the importance of playing together as a team. So far, it has been working. 

Lakewood Ranch enters the state tournament with a 5-0 record, having outscored its opponents 66-2 en route to winning District 26 and Section 4 titles. 

“We’ve been playing with each other a long time,” Krug says. “There’s a lot of great chemistry and talent on this team. Looking at the talent we had, I knew we were going to be pretty good.” 

Lakewood Ranch opened its All-Star season with 22-0 and 10-0 victories over Buffalo Creek in the District 26 All-Star Tournament June 29 through July 1. The team then went on to defeat Dade City (7-0) and Belmont Heights (16-0) before coming back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Plant City (11-2) in the Section 4 tournament July 17 and July 18, in Lake Wales, to keep its perfect season alive.

“These are elite level players,” Schroeder says. "They’ve been playing together for many years, and if they weren’t playing together, then they were playing against each other. This is something they’ve been dreaming about since they were 7 years old."

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].