A team from the Ponte Vedra Thunder Travel Baseball organization took top prize recently at All Star Village in Cooperstown, New York.
The team is made up of 11 Jacksonville-area 12-year-olds and is coached by Brian Hudgins, Terry Hagy and Mike Stockwell, who are also area residents and have sons on the team.
The boys went 9-2 for the week and had to win three games on the final day to get to the championship. They beat a tough team from Orlando by going up early in the game and staying composed and focused to the end. They had a combined five home runs in that game and won 16-6 in front of a large crowd of other visiting teams.
The team racked up 40 home runs during the week and faced teams from Ohio, Texas, California and New York.
A trip to Cooperstown is the ultimate goal of any youth travel baseball player. Thunder raised more than $25,000 for the trip over the last year, and more than 40 family members made the trip to support the team. It was the ultimate moment for the players and their families.
The team competes all over Florida at the Majors level and will finish up their stellar season next month at the invitation-only USSSA Elite World Series in Viera, Florida.
The team practices at Davis Park in Nocatee.
