Just two short years ago, a sports team captured the
hearts of Middle Georgia. The Warner Robins American
11 and 12 year old boys captured the Little League
World Series Championship with a dramatic extra inning
walk off home run from star shortstop Dalton Carriker
putting Warner Robins on the map. A once-in-a-lifetime
achievement most people would say. After all just one
year before that, a team from Columbus won the same
title, and two representatives from the same state in
such a short time is rare.
Little did we know that Warner Robins, Georgia was
not finished yet. At the same time in 2007, the WRALL
9 and 10 year old boys won the state championship. In
2008, the WRALL 11 and 12 year olds narrowly were
defeated in the semifinals of the regionals. And then
in 2009, they returned to the Little League World
Series to make another run, losing in the semifinals
of the U. S. Championship to the eventual winner from
Chula Vista, CA.
But wait, what's all this talk about the boys? Not
to be outdone, the girls won their district
championship played in Warner Robins, were crowned
Southeast Regional Champs in CeredoKenova, WV, and
traveled to Portland, Oregon for the 2009 Little
League Softball World Series. There, all they did was
win 6 straight games, outscoring their opponents 49-9
bringing back to Warner Robins, a second World
Championship, the first time that a little league has
won both the boys and girls 11-12 year old crown. The
final game took only three and 1/2 innings as the
girls defeated the Texas team representing the
Southwest 14-2.
Emily Whaley, manager of the team, said,
"Looking at the scores, you might think that our
girls just overpowered the competition. In reality, we
were small compared to the other teams. Each time we
took the field we adapted the battle cry ‘Face the
Giants.'"
Emily, a long time Upward Basketball coach at
Second Baptist and clearly a sports participant
enthusiast herself, was extremely proud of the
character of the team. "We prayed before each
game," Emily said, "and not once did a
player pray for the win, but rather for safe play,
doing their best, and to serve the Lord. It was
interesting to see how as the tournaments progressed
how the number of volunteers to pray increased."
Melissa Cox, who struggled in the regionals got a key
hit in the game against Virginia. Interviewed later,
Melissa was asked how she did it. "I just knew
the Lord would give me the strength to do something
good," Melissa said.
Many of the girls contributed during the World
Series, Emily said. "Our girls showed great
talent. Carson Carriker doubled home Sabrina Doucette
with the winning run in the bottom of the sixth, in a
close game against the Central Regional Champs. That
was the closest game we had in the World Series, Emily
said. "But our toughest competition of all was
probably, Florida in the regionals. We played them
twice and won 1-0 and 9-8 in the finals. With 5 or 6
pitchers, WRALL had the depth needed to bring home the
victory.
When asked how she would remember her team, Coach
Whaley said their character will always stand out. In
the regionals the team befriended the players from
Tennessee, a team from a disadvantaged area. They also
adopted Phil Selby, a mentally disabled man who helped
do odd jobs around the field in West Virginia. Phil
had suffered a brain injury that left him disabled.
But that didn't stop the team from getting close to
Phil. Toward the end of the tournament, all the girls
signed a Jersey and gave it to Phil. As he put it on,
the wide smile from his faced disappeared as it
started to rain. Phil pulled off the jersey and ran to
put it in the car to protect the autographs. An uncle
of one of the players who drove to Portland returned
by way of West Virginia to give Phil one of the medals
awarded to the team at the World Series.
So once again, Warner Robins makes headlines in the
sports arena. Another team experienced the thrill of
being named the "Best in the World". Carson
Carriker when asked after the championship game, what
she would say to Dalton when she got home, responded,
"Now I know how it feels."
Well, next year is another year, and who knows what
is in store for the teams from the WRALL. Five players
and three starters from this year's softball team
return next season. The boys and girls regionals will
be played at the new field complex in Warner Robins,
and, while it may be too much to expect another title,
Warner Robins can expect to be proud of another group
of fine athletes with the same class as that shown by
those who have preceded them.
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