Owensboro Eastern Cal Ripken All-Stars are set to take the biggest stage when they face off with Hanford, California, in their first game of the Cal Ripken World Series in Palm Gardens, Florida.
Eastern earned their ticket to the World Series in dominant fashion, with four straight wins during the regional tournament in which they only allowed a total of four runs in.
Their offense had also been dominant, scoring a plethora of runs, something Head Coach Otis Sowders said they’ll need to do in order to top the competition.
“We are playing Hanford, CA,” Sowders said. “We know that their pitching could possibly be our biggest competition with a few shutout games in their regional tournament.”
Owensboro had a short break between the regional tournament and the World Series, but parents took a lot of stress off of the coaches by handling fundraising for the trip.
This allowed the kids to celebrate and bask in their accomplishments, something Sowders thanks the community for.
“In between practices, our boys were able to participate in a few cool things such as throwing the first pitch in the Owensboro Riverdawgs game, spoke on the radio multiple times, and were even on the news,” Sowders said. “The boys were in the spotlight and I really feel once they saw how much our city was supporting them they became more determined.”
In practice, the main thing the team had been working on was hitting, specifically in focusing on putting the ball in play to make the other team earn outs.
“Our main focus in practice has been hitting,” Sowders said. “Hitting faster pitches and ultimately just making better contact with the ball. Main job is to put it in play somewhere.”
But in order for Owensboro come away victorious, they have to be clicking on all cylinders against the best teams in the country.
“In order to come out on top of the Cal Ripken World Series, all the pieces to the puzzle have to come together,” Sowders said. “Hitting, pitching, and defense. The boys have to remain determined and focused.”
The Owensboro Eastern All-Stars will hit the diamond when they take on Hanford, California, at 10:30 a.m. in Palm Gardens, Florida.
