|
Americus Travelers Baseball Club - 2005, 15 and Under Team
Americus Travelers 2005 15 and Under Roster (Number Order)
NUMBER |
PLAYER |
POSITION |
SCHOOL |
2 |
Paxton Hanson |
Utility / Right Hand Pitcher |
Americus-Sumter County |
4 |
Chad Crook |
Catcher / Right Hand Pitcher |
Schley County |
6 |
Will Webb |
Shortstop / Right Hand Pitcher |
Southland Academy |
8 |
Michael Swain |
Shortstop / Second Base / Right Hand Pitcher |
Tri-County High |
9 |
Adam Fussell |
Catcher |
Southland Academy |
10 |
Fuller Timmerman |
Second Base / Right Hand Pitcher |
Southland Academy |
11 |
Sean Kobs |
Outfield |
Southland Academy |
13 |
Colby Britt |
Utility / Right Hand Pitcher |
Schley County |
14 |
Jess Alexander |
Third Base / First Base / Right Hand Pitcher |
Southland Academy |
15 |
Chandler Holloway |
First Base / Designated Hitter / Right Hand Pitcher |
Southland Academy |
16 |
Caleb Cochran |
Outfield / Left Hand Pitcher |
Americus-Sumter County |
19 |
Will Gordon |
Catcher / Third Base |
Americus-Sumter County |
Americus Travelers 2005 15 and Under Final Stats
PLAYER |
AVERAGE |
RUNS SCORED |
RBI |
Fuller Timmerman |
.395 |
24 |
14 |
Caleb Cochran |
.392 |
19 |
20 |
Michael Swain |
.386 |
28 |
22 |
Will Webb |
.384 |
21 |
18 |
Will Gordon |
.365 |
17 |
16 |
Chandler Holloway |
.358 |
20 |
19 |
Paxton Hanson |
.358 |
18 |
12 |
Sean Kobs |
.286 |
15 |
9 |
Adam Fussell |
.228 |
6 |
5 |
Jess Alexander |
.218 |
11 |
6 |
Chad Crook |
.200 |
16 |
7 |
Head Coach: Tim Estes
Assistant Coach: Chip Langston
Assistant Coach: Stephen Gordon
2005 15 and Under Summer Baseball Schedule
DATE(S) |
OPPONENT |
# GAMES |
TIME |
LOCATION |
|
|
|
|
|
May 21 |
Senior Travelers |
Two |
|
Americus - Bell Stadium |
May 24 |
Americus Avalanche 14 and Under |
One |
6:00 p.m. |
Americus - Bell Stadium |
May 25 |
Blakely Post 11 JV |
Two (5 Innings) |
5:00 p.m. |
Southwest Georgia Academy - Damascus |
May 27 |
Albany Post 30-B (Post 30 Memorial Day Tournament) |
One |
5:00 p.m. |
Paul Eames Complex - Albany, Georgia (Field 1) |
May 28 |
Albany A's (Post 30 Memorial Day Tournament) |
One |
9:00 |
Paul Eames Complex - Albany, Georgia (Field 2) |
May 28 |
Troy, Alabama |
One |
7:00 |
Paul Eames Complex - Albany, Georgia (Field 2) |
May 31 |
Valdosta High School JV |
Two (7 Innings) |
5:00 p.m. |
Americus - Bell Stadium |
June 3 |
Lenoir City, North Carolina (Mossy Creek Baseball Classic) |
One |
5:45 p.m. |
Jefferson City, Tennessee |
June 4 |
Sevier County, Tennessee (Mossy Creek Baseball Classic) |
One |
1:10 p.m. |
Jefferson City, Tennessee |
June 4 |
Carolina Gators "A" (Mossy Creek Baseball Classic) |
One |
5:45 p.m. |
Jefferson City, Tennessee |
June 5 |
Carolina Gators "B" (Mossy Creek Baseball Classic) |
One |
10:30 a.m. |
Jefferson City, Tennessee |
June 5 |
Seymour, Indiana (Mossy Creek Baseball Classic) |
One |
1:10 p.m. |
Jefferson City, Tennessee |
June 7 |
Westwood Academy - Varsity |
2 (7 Innings) |
6:00 p.m. |
Americus - Bell Stadium |
June 17 |
Blakely Post 11 JV |
1 (7 Inning) |
6:00 p.m. |
Americus - Bell Stadium |
June 21 |
Valdosta High School JV |
Two (7 Innings) |
5:00 p.m. |
Valdosta High |
June 28 - July 3 |
Cocoa Expo International Tournament |
|
|
Cocoa, Florida |
July 8 |
Albany Post 30-B |
Two (7 Innings) |
6:00 p.m. |
Americus - Bell Stadium |
Recaps Section
May 21 - Senior Travelers
|
The 15U Travelers opened the season with a stunning victory over the
17U
Travelers by the score of 8 - 5. The Junior squad got gutsy pitching
from
all five hurlers. Jess Alexander threw two scoreless innings to start,
striking out three and walking one. Caleb Cochran pitched the 3rd & 4th
giving up two runs on two hits. He struck out two and walked one.
Chandler
Holloway stepped onto the Thomas Bell mound to pitch the 5th, 6th & 7th
innings. He allowed one run on three hits, struck out one and walked
one.
Paxton Hanson struggled in his one inning of work but managed to get
out of
a bases loaded jam in the 8th. Hanson struck out two and walked two.
Chad
Crook finished things on the mound in the 9th inning with one strike
out and
one walk.
Offensively, the junior Travs piled up nine hits and capitalized on
several
Senior team errors. Paxton Hanson had the hot bat for the day going 3 -
5
with a triple and two singles. Sean Kobs added a couple of hits
including a
single and a triple. Will Webb, Will Gordon, Caleb Cochran and Jess
Alexander each had a hit. The junior team scored six runs in the top
half
of the first inning and added two more in the 8th to make the final
score 8
- 5.
Coach Estes Comments: " Our kids prepared well throughout Training Camp
and
it showed in the way we played today. I was very pleased with our
pitching
efforts. Some of our pitchers struggled a bit but managed to work their
way
out of it. We hit the ball better than I expected us to but need to get
a
little more aggressive. We struck out too many times and need to make
the
defense make plays on us. Defensively, we didn't commit an error which
was
great. We had a couple of balls that I thought our outfield could've
gotten
to, that we let fall in for hits, but I can't criticize much in such a
stellar defensive performance. While we've worked hard for several
days,
our Senior team hasn't had the opportunity to practice very much. Once
Danny
and his guys have played a few games together, they will once again be
a
strong team to contend with. There's no question that they have a bunch
of
talent on their team. I'm proud of the way we played and the way our
kids
handled themselves after the game. This was a big win for us and part
of our
program is teaching our players how to win with class and dignity and I
think we did just that."
May 24 - Americus Avalanche
|
The Americus Travelers 15U team defeated the Georgia Avalanche 10 - 1
at
Thomas Bell Stadium. Michael Swain was the winning pitcher going three
innings, striking out four. He allowed one run on three hits. Will Webb
worked two innings and allowed no runs, no hits and struck out one.
Fuller
Timmerman finished on the mound throwing two innings striking out three
and
walking only one Avalanche hitter.
Offensively the Travs were led by Caleb Cochran who went 2 - 2 with a
pair
of RBI. Chandler Holloway and Jess Alexander each added two hits.
Paxton
Hanson, Will Gordon, Fuller Timmerman, and Will Webb had one hit each.
Coach Estes comments: " We got sloppy on defense tonight commiting five
errors. We hit the ball well and finally executed the squeeze play and
the
bottom line is a win is a win is a win ... no matter how ugly it looks.
Our
pitching staff continues to shine. All three guys tonight threw the
baseball
extremely well. We've got two tough ones in Blakely tommorrow so we'll
need
to be more intense and play better baseball."
May 25 - Blakely Post 11 Junior Varsity
|
The 15U Travelers swept a double header from Blakely Post 11 in
Damascus,
Georgia last night. Game 1: Travelers 10 Blakely Post 11 3
Game 2: Travelers 6 Blakely Post 11 0
Jess Alexander was the winning pitcher in game 1. Jess is now (2-0) on
the
season
Chandler Holloway came in to close the game and did a super job on the
mound.
The Travelers pounded out 15 hits in game 1 to storm past the Blakely
bunch.
Paxton Hanson was the winning pitcher in game 2. He pitched all four
innings
before the game was called official because of darkness. The Travelers
bats
were hot again as they mustered 7 hits in their three at bats.
Coach Estes Comments: " We hit the baseball extremely well tonight.
Our
pitchers continue to throw the ball with authority and are hitting
their
spots. Defensively we had a couple of problems in the outfield but
other
than that, we played pretty good. The kids had much better intensity
throughout the two games. I really like the way Coach Langston has our
pitchers throwing their off speed stuff for strikes. So far, all of
our
staff has looked good. We'll have to elevate our game even more this
weekend
as we enter the Memorial Day tournament but we're moving in the right
direction."
May 27/28 - Post 30 Memorial Day Tournament
|
The Travelers junior squad finished the post 30 Memorial Day tournament
with
a 2-1-1 record earning them a 3rd place finish. In game 1, Michael
Swain
went the distance on the mound as Americus defeated Post 30-B 9-5. In
game 2
on Saturday morning, the Travelers held a 7-2 lead over the Albany A's
going
into the sixth inning. Caleb Cochran had pitched an excellent game.
Seeing
he was getting tired, the relief was called in and things slowly fell
apart.
The A's scored six runs on four errors and two wild pitches in the
sixth
inning to take an 8-7 lead going into the 7th. In the top of the
seventh
inning, a leadoff hit was followed by a sacrifice bunt and another hit
to
tie the game. The runner then moved to third on a passed ball and Chad
Crook
squeezed home Will Webb to give the Travelers a 9-8 lead heading to the
bottom of the 7th inning. Albany scored once in the bottom of the 7th
to
tie the game at 9 each and it was called because of the time limit.
In game 3: Troy Alabama scored six times in the first inning to take an
8-2
win over the junior Travelers. Most observers of the game were amazed
that
our coaching staff stayed in the baseball game due to the plate umpires
anticks. Tournament officials later apologized to the team for
employing an
umpire that no-one associated with the tournament knew (he was a new
marine
from Ohio, who claimed to be a former pro official). Coaches Estes and
Langston questioned several calls throughout the first four innings
before
deciding to just sit back and let it go. The jr. Travs had 9 hits
(Troy had
10) but due to the big 1st inning, Americus just couldn't recover.
In the 3rd place game on Sunday, Americus defeated Early County by a
score
of 8-2. Jess Alexander went the distance on the mound running his
record to
3-0. Americus compiled 10 hits and committed only one error.
Coach Estes comments: "I'm really pleased with the way we're hitting the
ball
as a team. Our kids are understanding what to look for and buying into
the
concept of hitting a pitch because we want to hit it and not because we
have
to hit it. Our pitchers again looked good all weekend and should only
get
stronger. We executed the little things pretty good, we bunted well,
we
squeezed in what should have been a winning run, we're hitting behind
runners like we're supposed to do, we're running the bases aggressively
and
smart. I'm really happy with where we're at at this point. I would say
we're ahead of the curve.
As for the bogus official we had on Saturday night, all I can say is
WOW! I
don't know how a guy like that can get to call in a tournament of this
caliber but when you're hard up for officials, you just hope the guy is
legitimate and this one wasn't! When I realized he was blatantly
sticking
it to us, my only choices were to live with it or get ejected. I knew
that
I wasn't going to be able to be with the team on Sunday so I needed
Chip to
stay in the ball game so he could coach on Sunday, that's the only
thing
that kept him around. I hope it was a lesson to all of our kids that
sometimes life isn't fair and you've just got to live with it. Paxton
did a
fantastic job of keeping his emotions under control and saving the rest
of
our pitchers arms. Overall, it was a positive weekend and we're
getting
better."
May 31 - Valdosta High Junior Varsity
|
The Americus Travelers 15U team split a double header with Valdosta
High
School at Bell Stadium on Tuesday. In game one, Valdosta out hit the
Travelers 6 - 2 en route to a 3-0 win. Will Webb took the loss on the
mound
going four innings and Chad Crook came on to finish the game. Michael
Swain
and Fuller Timmerman had the only Travelers hits.
In game 2, the Travelers trailed 5 - 2 going into the final inning. In
that
last inning, Michael Swain led off the inning with a triple to the
right
center field gap, Fuller Timmerman and Chandler Holloway drew back to
back
walks to load the bases, Will Webb singled to cut the lead to 5-3.
Coach
Estes called for the suicide squeeze and Will Gordon did so plating
Timmerman to make it 5-4 with no outs and he was also safe at 1st.
Trailing
by one run, Sean Kobs stepped to the dish and hit a double to score
Holloway
and Webb and give the Travelers a 6-5 come from behind victory.
Timmerman
pitched all but the final inning. Swain came on to strike out all three
Wildcat hitters in the last frame.
Coach Estes comments: "We looked tired and sluggish in game one and
Valdosta
just outplayed us. Will Webb and Chad Crook pitched well enough to keep
us
in the game but we just couldn't get anything going offensively. In
game
two, I thought Fuller threw the ball well and settled into a groove.
We
really only brought Swain in for the last inning to give him a tune up
going
into the tournament this weekend and he looked great! We put together
a
spectacular last inning, Swain hit the snot out of the ball all night.
We
executed the squeeze and then Kobs delivered the big hit to win it. If
we'll play TEAM, TRAVELERS baseball like we did in the last inning
tonight,
we'll have alot of success this summer."
June 3-5 - Mossy Creek Baseball Classic
|
The Americus Travelers 15u team finished the Mossy Creek Classic with a
record of 2-2-1 over the weekend. Lenoir City defeated the Travelers
10-8
in the opener. Americus outhit their opponent 18-7 but couldn't manage
to
get enough runs across the plate. In game 2: The Travelers tied the
local
Sevier County team 2-2. On Saturday evening, Americus defeated the
Carolina
Gators 8-3. Sunday Morning the Travelers came out swinging and blasted
the
Gators 12-1 in five innings. In the final game of the tournament, the
Seymour Eagles defeated Americus 4-1 behind two 2 run home runs. The
Junior
Travs are now 10-4-2 overall on the young season.
Coach Estes Comments: " We got better this weekend. I was proud of the
way
we pitched and we hit the ball extremely well. We made a few bonehead
plays
defensively but we're learning from our mistakes. I definitely believe
we're
on the right track. It was a fun trip. Our parents were great,
supportive
and helpful. We enjoyed some time together away from the field. We even
got
to take in a Tennessee Smokies game which was a blast! Our kids are
better
understanding what Travelers baseball is about and I'm excited about
the
rest of our season. Coach Langston has our pitchers hitting their
spots and
has been a huge help. Coach Gordon is working with hitters every time I
turn
around and I think our staff, our team and our parents are all on the
same
page right now."
June 7 - Westwood Academy
|
The 15u Travelers swept a double header from Westwood Camilla American
Legion on Tuesday at Bell Stadium.
Game 1: Americus 8 Westwood Camilla 1
Winning Pitcher = Fuller Timmerman Save = Chandler Holloway
Fuller Timmerman, Michael Swain, Chandler Holloway, and Adam Fussell each had two
hits. Will Webb, Paxton Hanson, Will Gordon and Chad Crook all had 1 hit.
Game 2: Americus 9 Westwood Camilla 3
Winning Pitcher = Chad Crook
Hits: Will Webb and Will Gordon had two each. Michael Swain, Fuller Timmerman,
Caleb Cochran, and Chandler Holloway each had one hit.
Coach Estes Comments: "We hit the ball really well again tonight.
Fuller
and Chandler both threw well in game one and Chad Crook looked great in
game
two. We made some baserunning mistakes but were able to hit our way
around
them. Our middle infield of Swain & Webb are getting more and more in
sync
and make a great tandem. It'll be nice to have a few days off and come
back
on Sunday and play an old friend in Casey Soliday"
June 17 - Blakely Post 11
|
The Americus Travelers 15u team, after a week off, came back on the
field
playing fundamental baseball on Friday night at Thomas Bell Stadium.
Quality pitching, solid defense, timely hitting and the art of bunting
propelled the Travelers to a 6-5 win over Blakely Post 11 to run their
overall record to 13-4-2 on the season.
Michael Swain started on the hill for Americus and dominated for the
first
three innings. His control became shaky in the fourth and Caleb Cochran
was
brought in, in relief. Cochran finished the fourth inning and remained
in
the game through completion. The two Travelers pitchers combined to
allow
five runs on four hits, struck out 10 but walked 8 in the ball game.
Offensively, the junior Travelers played small ball and did it well.
Leading
the way at the plate were Will Gordon, Paxton Hanson and Sean Kobs with
two
hits each. Swain, Chandler Holloway, Will Webb and Chad Crook all had
one
hit as well. Fundamental baserunning and quality bunting resulted in
three
of the Travelers six runs. Sean Kobs was called on to execute the
squeeze
bunt on two occassions, doing it to perfection both times. He was safe
on
first base on both attempts as well. Throughout the game, the Travelers
seemed to get on base via a hit or a walk, the following batter would
bunt
them over to second base, a hit or a ground ball to the right side
would
move runners over to third base and the runners would then score on
hits,
bunts or passed balls.
The Travelers now have the remainder of the weekend off and will travel
to
Valdosta High School for a double header on Tuesday and on Thursday
will
host the Senior Travelers in a single game at Georgia Southwestern
State
University.
Coach Estes Comments: " It was good for us to have a little time off
and get
some rest. We came out with good intensity tonight and played
fundamental,
Travelers baseball. I think our kids have grasp the concept of TEAM
baseball
and understand the direction we want to go as a baseball team"
Tuesday evening, the Americus Travelers 15u team split a double header,
for
the second time this season, with the Valdosta High Varsity Gold team.
The
two teams had matched up earlier in the season at Thomas Bell Stadium
with
Valdosta taking game one 3-0 and Americus winning game two 6-5.
On Tuesday, the two games were nearly mirror images of each other. In
game
one, the teams were tied 3-3 going into the sixth inning when Valdosta
exploded for 7 hits in the inning to take an 8-3 win. Jess Alexander
was the
hard luck losing pitcher for Americus while Chandler Holloway came on
in
relief to throw 1 2/3 innings. Will Gordon lead Americus at the plate
with 3
hits, Michael Swain, Fuller Timmerman, Alexander, Adam Fussell and
Holloway
each added hits.
In game two, the game was again tied at 3 each in the sixth but this
time it
was the Travelers exploding offensively with five consecutive hits to
take
an 8-3 lead. Americus would add an insurance run in the 7th inning to
win
the game 9-3. Paxton Hanson threw 6 1/3 innings of solid baseball but
Coach
Estes called on ace Caleb Cochran to close the game in the seventh. The
junior Travs now have an overall record of 13-5-2 on the season heading
into
the Cocoa Expo Internationale Tournament next week.
" It was good for us to play a team the caliber of Valdosta High
School"
said Coach Estes " We tip our hats to them, they just flat beat us in
game
one and we didn't play that bad. I was proud of the way we bounced back
to
take game two and thought we showed some character by doing so. We had
four
pitchers that got some work in and all did well. We hit the ball
extremely
well tonight and played solid on the infield defensively. Our outfield
was
short tonight with a couple of guys at basketball camp so we looked
shaky
out there, but that was to be expected. We're getting better each week
and
that's the direction we want to continue to go in"
June 30 - Clarksville Athletics
|
The Americus Travelers 15u club got things off to a great start at the
Cocoa
Internationale Tournament on Wednesday by defeating the Clarksville
Tennessee Athletics 10-0 in five innings. Caleb Cochran was the winning
pitcher, throwing all five innings and limiting his tosses to only 71
pitches. Cochran struck out 8 walked 0 and gave up only two hits. The
Travelers had seven hits with Will Webb leading the way with two.
Fuller
Timmerman, Caleb Cochran, Michael Swain, Sean Kobs and Paxton Hanson
each
had a hit.
Game 2 of the day was rained out and rescheduled for Thursday at 1:00.
Tommorrow, Paxton Hanson will take to the mound as the Travs will face
the
Puerto Rico Indians at 8:00 AM. Michael Swain gets the baseball for the
1:00
PM game against the Brevard Florida Stars.
Coach Estes Comments on the Clarksville game: " Cochran was on today!
He hit
his spots and limited his pitches ... he was fantastic. Our team did a
great
job of getting up, they ran early this morning and when we got to the
ball
park, we were ready to play. We didn't make any physical or mental
errors.
It was classic Americus Travelers baseball and I couldn't be any more
proud
of the way we played. We've got two extremely tough games tommorrow so
we're getting the kids in bed early and hopefully we can show up and
play
just as well in the morning"
June 30 - Puerto Rico Indians
|
The Americus Travelers 15u Baseball CLub took the Cocoa Expo by storm
on
Thursday morning by defeating the Puerto Rico Indians 6-4. Paxton
Hanson
was the winning pitcher going 4 2/3 innings, striking out 7 and walking
3.
Americus used a four run first inning to propel their way to a 2-0
start in
the Cocoa Expo Internationale Tournament. Fuller Timmerman singled to
lead
off the game, moved to second on a balk and Michael Swain delivered an
RBI
single. Caleb Cochran then singled in the right center gap pushing
Swain
over to third base. Cochran then stole second and Chandler Holloways
single
plated both Swain and Cochran for a 3-0 lead. Will Webb and Paxton
Hanson
had back to back singles through the middle and after one inning it was
4-0
Travelers. Two more insurance runs were picked up in the second inning
as
Timmerman and Swain both crossed the dish for Americus. Hanson allowed
two
Puerto Rico runs in the 2nd inning and two more in the fourth but Caleb
Cochran came on in relief to put out the fire and preserve the
Travelers
win. Game two of the day was called off due to rain in the area. The
Travelers are scheduled to play Freedom Farm Bahamas at 1:00 PM on
Friday
and the Orlando Hunters at 6:00 Pm in the Cocoa Stadium.
"Paxton struggled a bit today but managed to work through most of it"
said
Coach Tim Estes " We came out smoking the ball at the plate and really
got
them down early and hung on to win at the end" The Travelers 15u club
is
now 17-5-2 on the season entering Fridays play and is currently in the
lead
at the Cocoa Expo tournament. " Our intensity has been good, the kids
are
playing well together and we'll be ready to play whenever we are asked
to
play. The rain is somewhat frustrating, but the teams that handle
adversity
the best will win the tournament and we want to be that team". Estes
said.
July 1 - Brevard Stars/Freedom Farm Baseball Club (Bahamas)
|
The Americus Travelers suffered their first loss in Cocoa at the hands
of
the defending champion Brevard Stars by a score of 11-1. Michael Swain
took
the loss on the mound for his first loss of the season. Americus could
only
manage four hits on the night as Brevard simply blistered the baseball.
"
That was the best team we had played all year" said Estes " They were
very
good and a classy bunch. I hope we can get to that level over the next
year
or so"
The Travelers bounced back to defeat the Freedom Farm Baseball Club
from the
Bahamas 11-0 Jess Alexander was the winning pitcher and each player in
the
line-up had at least one hit. The Travs will face off against the
Orlando
Hunters on Saturday for the chance to play for the Cocoa Internationale
Championship on Sunday.
Coach Estes comments: " Jess completely dominated today and we hit
the
baseball extremely well. They were not the caliber of team we are used
to
playing but good teams put their opponents away and we did just that. I
look
forward to the opportunity in front of us tommorrow to make it to the
championship."
July 2 - Orlando Hunters/Freedom Farm (Bahamas)
|
The Americus Travelers advanced to Championship Sunday of the Cocoa
Expo
Internationale with an impressive 3-2 victory over the Orlando Hunters
on
Saturday. Michael Swain was the winning pitcher striking out 8 and
walking
only 1.
The Travelers also had to complete their game with Freedom Farm
baseball
from Nassau Grand Bahamas which was suspended due to rain from Friday
with
the Travs ahead 11-0. On Saturday, Freedom Farm would score a run in
the
bottom of the fourth but Americus would tack on four more in the bottom
half
of the inning to win 15-1.
The Travelers finish pool play at 4 - 1 and will be the #2 seed in
championship play on Sunday
Sunday's Schedule:
9:00 #1 seed Brevard Stars vs. #4 seed Puerto Rico Indians
9:00 #2 seed Americus Travelers vs. #3 seed Orlando Hunters
12:00 Championship
12:00 Consolation game
Coach Estes Quotes: " Our kids have really played well down here this
week.
We have beaten some good teams and all of the work that we've put in
this
summer is paying off. Michael Swain was absolutely incredible today on
the
mound against Orlando. He had that "eye of the Tiger" mentality and
went
after their hitters. We are proud to be representing Americus on this
level
and look forward to the challenge of playing for the title on Sunday."
July 3 - Orlando Hunters/Brevard Stars
|
Americus defeated Orlando, 8-4, but lost in the Championship Game to the Brevard Stars,
4-0. As a result, the Travelers emerged as the Runner Up in the Cocoa Expo International.
The following are comments from Coach Estes (posted July 4):
" I am so proud of the way our players played this week and represented
Americus. We could've laid down against Orlando after getting down 4-0
early
on but we had the guts and the character to fight our way back and win
it
late. What a super job by a fantastic group of kids. In the
championship
game, we played really well! I know the score (4-0) doesn't reflect
that,
but we really hit the ball well and they just made the plays. The
Brevard
Stars are a very good baseball team, they play the game like it is
meant to
be played and they have an awful lot of talent. Their coaches were good
men
who had total control of their players and while we hate to lose, when
you
get beat by a classy group of kids and coaches, it makes it bearable.
I
congratulate Brevard for a job well done! At the same time, don't take
anything away from our kids. They proved to themselves, their opponents
and
the national baseball scene that Americus Travelers Baseball is back
and has
a bright future!
I want to especially thank Coach Langston for his work this week. It's
great
to have such a reliable guy on our staff. We also have the best group
of
parents and I'd like to thank them for their support of me, our staff,
our
program and our kids. It was a fun week and hopefully it will have
prepared
us for the National tournament in a couple of weeks."
July 22-24 - Gatorade/Hampton Inn National Classic @ Greenville, South Carolina
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The Americus Travelers 15u Baseball team finished their 2005 season with a runner
up trophy at the Gatorade/Hampton Inn Summer National Classic in Greenville, South
Carolina.
The Travelers stunned the 16u South Carolina State Champs on Friday with a
final score of 8-3. Caleb Cochran was the winning pitcher. Fuller Timmerman, Michael
Swain, Cochran, Will Webb, and Sean Kobs each had a pair of hits. Will Gordon,
Chandler Holloway and Jess Alexander each had a hit.
The Carolina bombers took game #2 by a score of 3-0. Michael Swain pitched a three
hitter, but the Travelers couldn't manage to cross the plate. Fuller Timmerman was
the only Americus player with multiple hits as he blasted a double and a single. Will
Gordon and Will Webb both added singles.
Game #3: The South Carolina Express got their chance for a re-match, but Jess
Alexander pitched his best game of the season. Alexander's strong performance,
along with 11 more Americus hits, gave the Travelers a 6-3 win. Fuller Timmerman,
Michael Swain, Will Gordon, and Will Webb all had a pair of singles. Caleb
Cochran, Chandler Holloway, and Sean Kobs each added a hit. This win made the
Travelers 2-1 in the tournament.
Championship Game: Americus faced a tough South Carolina Braves team from Columbia.
Chad Crook pitched four strong innings, but spotty defense in the fourth and
four errors led to a 10-0 win for the Braves. The Travelers were led at the plate
by Caleb Cochran with two hits. Michael Swain, Will Webb and Chandler Holloway
each had one hit. The Americus Travelers 15u finished their 2005 season with a record
of 23-10-2.
The Season In Review - Coach Tim Estes
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"To say that I'm proud of these young men would be the understatement of the
season. Coach Langston and myself have had the good fortune of coaching (teaching)
a very special group of players. They were like a sponge and really tried to
learn and understand what we were trying to pass along to them. Before I get too
far, let me first thank the parents of these players for their monetary investment,
their time commitment and their support of me and my staff. I appreciate your
trust in me and hope that you feel like what we've done this summer has been
worth your time and money. We must also thank a great business community who has
financially backed our program from the beginning. We absolutely could not do what
we do without them. To our fans...and yes, we have built a great fan base - Thanks
more than you'll ever know! To look up in the stands and see a couple hundred people
is incredible for the players and our coaching staff as well.
Let me say in looking back on our season that these young men represented Americus
and the Travelers program with class. Our philosophy goes beyond the x's and
o's of the game - we want to play the game the way it was meant to be played and
these kids did just that! We never had a single problem with a player backtalking
a coach, complaining about playing time - nothing! Coach Langston and I tried to
be fair at all times and in every decision do what was best for our team. To
watch these guys put into the games what they had been taught at practice was an
absolute joy. We played more good teams than had ones this season. We didn't
lose a single game that we should have won - we did let one get away from us that
ended in a tie, but we won every game that we should've won. We also beat a lot
of teams that were more talented than we were. Our final record of 23-10-2 is one
that I'm very proud of. When you think about a team with coachable players,
supportive parents, good coaches, and a community that is behind them, I hope you
think of us.
I must also say a special thanks to Chip Langston and Stephen Gordon. Chip and I
have battled against each other for many years. It was so good to be in the same
dugout this year. I think we made a great team. I always respected his opinions
and most of the time went with his suggestions. He worked hard and cared about
every player on this team. Coach Gordon was with us for most of the season and
took a load off of us by keeping our books, getting the kids stretched, working
with our hitters. His contributions were greatly appreciated.
We are already making plans for next season. There are a few places we can
strengthen our team. We need to add a couple of arms to our pitching staff.
It's so important to have a minimum of four quality starters. If those guys
can also give us a strong bat - that's icing on the cake. We plan to affiliate
with a National organization or two - most likely USSSA and AAU. If we can
routinely send a quality pitcher to the mound and have eight or nine guys in
the line-up that hit over .300, we'll be tough to beat next summer.
Let me close by saying that I appreciate my wife and kids allowing me to do this
each summer. Tammie, Lexie and Ashleigh have enjoyed their time with the
Travelers. Hope, Walker and Caroline Langston have become good friends, and I
thank you for sharing Chip. To Jeff and Felicia Alexander, who have managed
our budget this year - your contributions to our program are beyond words, and
to be able to call you friends is an honor. To all of you parents, thanks so
much for your sacrifice, your good demeanor and your trust. I can't wait to
do it all over again next summer, only on a bigger scale. Finally, to our
webmaster, Ken "Moose" Harrill - your work to make sure that everyone who loves
the Travelers can follow us is most appreciated. We have built a massive
following, and you are a big reason why.
The Travelers are a family - we have laughed together, cried together, won
together and lost together, and through it all, we have built Americus Travelers
Baseball back into a National power. I am honored to be your coach.
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