Experienced Americans
Published 10:00 pm Monday, June 22, 2009
The Troy Dixie Minor American League Tournament team is poised and ready to make a World Series run.
The Americans are an experienced team with eight 10 year olds and four 9 year olds. Many of the players have been playing together for a while and are ready to win it all.
Jackson Murphy and Wood Jinright have been playing together for three years.
Murphy cannot wait to get started.
“I am just excited to be on the tournament team and here with a lot of my friends,” Murphy said. “We are going to try and play hard and win games.”
Jinright is in his fourth year of tournament ball and the travel is what interests him most about tournament team play.
“We have been together for a while and I like traveling with these guys and playing teams from other places,” Jinright said. “This should be fun.”
Ken LaBrant is the Americans head coach and this will be the third time he attempts to lead a tournament team to state. He helped lead his son Luke’s team to a World Series title and he led his son Cole’s team to a state runner-up finish.
He is now attempting to reach state again as the head coach with his son, Jack.
“It is kind of neat and I believe we will have a good run,” LaBrant said. “I like how this team does not get down if they are losing and they are ready to go the entire game. They do very well with two strikes.”
The Americans open sub-district play in Brantley June 26.