The Lincoln County 7U Coach Pitch American All-Stars faced a gauntlet of competition last week in Petal at the Dixie Youth State Tournament.

Fresh off winning their district tournament, the team played eight games in Petal and finished as champions. They’ll next play at the Dixie Youth World Series in Laurel on July 17-21.

The boys from Lincoln County will play in a pool with teams from Opelika (Alabama), East Cen-tral (Mississippi), Livingston (Texas), Searcy (Arkansas), Ville Platte (Louisiana), Mt. Pleasant (Texas), and Prattville (Alabama).

The other pool will contain eight other teams from Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

Lincoln County is scheduled to play their first pool game on July 18 at 9 a.m. against Opelika. They’ll then play later that same day against Livingston. On July 19 they’ll play Mt. Pleasant at 11:30 a.m. Later that day the team will play Searcy.

Justin Smith, Ben Sandifer, Taylor Newman, and Taylor Wallace coach the team. Smith provided a breakdown of what each player has brought to the table as the team has made their run to the World Series.

 

Evan Alexander

“Evan has a big stick at the plate and an even bigger personality off the field. You never know what he might say and he’s always a trip to be around.”

 

Garrett Barlow

“Garrett has been a steady wall for us at third base. He leads by example and is a guy you can al-ways count on.”

 

Liam Medlin

“Liam has been asked to play several positions and has been a huge boost to us in left field. He has made some great game saving catches out there.”

 

Campbell Newman

“Campbell is one of the toughest kids I know. He gives it his all on every pitch.”

 

Rocco Robin

“Rocco has truly been our rock on defense. He plays shortstop and leads off every game at the plate. When he gets on base, he puts pressure on the defense with his smart base running.”

 

Paul Sandifer

“Paul has the heart of a lion and he gives 110 percent with everything he does.”

 

Blayne Smith

“Blayne has played first and outfield for us and he’s the team’s chant leader. He can get the dugout going, even when we are all tired and hot.”

 

Layton Triplett

“Layton has played pitcher for us and has made plays that no other 7-year-old makes. He sees the game like he is 12-years old.”

 

Kip Wallace

“Kip has been a consistent bat for us and so tough that he fought through severe dehydration at the state tourney to help us win the whole thing.”

 

Walker Waycaster

“Walker’s baseball IQ is higher than mine in most games. He does the right thing on the field every time without being asked to do it. He is a backup machine.”

 

Jax Wilson

“Jax is the biggest kid on the team with the biggest stick at the plate. He always does exactly what is asked with a smile on his face.”