Mom and son talk baseball to Rotarians

Published 2:00 am Thursday, July 23, 2015

SUBMITTED PHOTO 2015 Alabama Dixie Youth Machine Pitch State Champs are pictured front from left, Carson Boothe, Cole Pugh, KaNeil Lewis, Jordan McBryde, Carter Nelson and Dawson Bradford. Middle row, Pruitt Vaughn, Kade Brookins, Jackson Booth, Cade Edwards, Rhodes Baker and Wes Braistead. Back row, David Bradford, Adam Brookins, Dax Pugh and Kevin Booth.

SUBMITTED PHOTO
2015 Alabama Dixie Youth Machine Pitch State Champs are pictured front from left, Carson Boothe, Cole Pugh, KaNeil Lewis, Jordan McBryde, Carter Nelson and Dawson Bradford. Middle row, Pruitt Vaughn, Kade Brookins, Jackson Booth, Cade Edwards, Rhodes Baker and Wes Braistead. Back row, David Bradford, Adam Brookins, Dax Pugh and Kevin Booth.

When Kim Edwards visited the Brundidge Rotary Club Wednesday, she didn’t know that she would be cast into the role of program guest.

Edwards was there to represent the Troy Machine Pitch team that recently won the 2015 Alabama Dixie Youth Machine Pitch Championship. However, due to circumstances, she was placed in the spotlight.

Edwards talked about Troy’s seven- and eight-year-old machine pitch team’s 11-1 run to the state championship and the team’s excitement about the opportunity to play in the World Series in South Carolina Aug. 2-7.

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Cade Edwards attended the Rotary Club meeting with his mom and talked about his experience as an eight-year-old state champion baseball player.

“The best thing about the tournament was being with my friends and having our families there to support us,” Cade said. “We went undefeated in the state tournament and that was the best feeling.”

Cade said winning the state tournament and playing in the Dixie Youth Machine Pitch World Series was not the team’s goal.

“Our coaches just told us if we won every inning we would win the game,” he said. “That’s what we did.”

The only game the Troy Machine Pitch All-Star Team lost was to Enterprise in the District Tournament but one loss is not a bad thing, the young catcher said.

“I played third base in the summer but, for the All-Stars, the coach asked me if I wanted to try to play catcher and I said I did,” Cade said. “I like it, but it’s hard to catch the high balls.”

Cade said he is practicing every day to be ready for the World Series.

“I’ve been playing baseball since I was three,” he said. “That’s five years. I like to practice and I really like to play the games. I want to keep playing as long as I can.”

Cade and his teammates are willing and eager to do what the coaches ask of them so they will be ready to play their best when they get to Myrtle Beach.

“We’re not nervous. We’re excited to get to go play,” Cade said. “I’m confident that we can win.”

And, why not? The young boys of Troy will be wearing uniforms emblazoned with team “Alabama” and “Alabama’s the best state in the country.”

Tonight, with every Alabama Dixie Youth Machine Pitch Champions flyer presented, Santa Fe Cattle Company will donate 10 percent of the proceeds to the team to defray the expenses of the World Series tournament.

The tournament may be viewed on line at www.nmbpark.com. Times to be announced.