- June 30, 2024
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The Sarasota Little League American U10 All-Star baseball team was not taking anything for granted.
The team is largely intact from a season ago when it reached the state stage of the annual Little League International Tournament. Through that experience, the young baseball players learned what it took to make it that far: skill, discipline and a bit of good fortune.
The team wants to get back to the state tournament this season, and it believes it can. But it is impossible to reach one's destination without taking the first step, and it was in that spirit that the team entered its district tournament, held June 14-20. There would be no underestimating anyone. Each opponent was getting the team's best shot.
The attitude paid off.
The Sarasota American U10 team hit and pitched its way to another district title. The team went 4-0, scoring 56 runs and allowing just six. Sarasota American hit .427 with a 1.141 OPS as a team. It was led by Dylan Parrish, who had a .636 average and a 1.692 OPS. On the mound, seven pitchers combined to hold a 0.947 ERA.
Head Coach Scott Parrish said his young team did exactly what it needed to do at districts. But he and the team are not going to rest on their victory for too long; after all, there's a long way to go on the All-Star road.
"We played well," Parrish said. "We certainly identified some things we need to clean up before sectionals and hopefully the state tournament, but the positives certainly outweighed the negatives. I think it helped the boys build some confidence."
The U10 team will head to Naples on June 29 for its sectional tournament. It is not the only Sarasota Little League team advancing past districts, either. The Sarasota American U11 and U12 teams also advanced to their sectional tournaments. Those teams also largely dominated their competition; on June 25, for instance, the U12 team defeated Venice Little League 10-1 in the district title game in Englewood.
The U12 team will have a chance to go to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the Little League World Series if it keeps winning. For the U10 and U11 teams, the state level is as far as they can get. But that does not mean they care about All-Stars any less.
The U10 team, specifically, is excited about competing against top competition at sectionals and beyond. Dylan Parrish, who was on last year's state tournament team, said the biggest key from this point forward will be not making mistakes. Little league teams can beat themselves as easily as they can beat others. The teams that realize this are the ones that can go far.
"We can't be doing risky things," Dylan Parrish said. "We need to play in control."
Parrish said he enjoys All-Star baseball as much or more than typical Little League baseball because of the gradual step-up in competition. He and his teammates will soon experience that step.
His father-turned-head coach believes the kids are ready.
"When they need to, they can focus and do great things," Scott Parrish said.
For Scott Parrish, coaching the All-Star team is a privilege. He loves seeing kids practice hard together in the pursuit of a common goal, a life lesson that he believes will be useful to them long after their time in All-Star baseball has passed.
He is also proud of the team's bullpen, which features several 10-year-olds on their last go-round at this level of competition. They all have experience playing together, Parrish said, and the depth they provide will be tough for other teams to match. In 19 total innings, Brody Speary has pitched 8.1 of them, while six other pitchers have handled the rest. Opponents are averaging less than one walk/hit per inning (0.737) against the pitching staff.
"Athletically, I think last year's team had a bit more speed," Parrish said. "But the pitching, which is a big factor, is stronger this year. And again, the returners, they are all stronger and more developed. That helps."
Some changes will be made, too. Parrish said the team will use the next few days of practice to work on base running and avoiding unnecessary outs. But if things go right, Parrish would not be surprised to be heading back to states July 5-7 in Bonita Springs.
Dylan Parrish said he and his teammates cannot wait.
"It's cool that we get to play," Parrish said. "It's a lot of fun."
