Dreams do come true. The Perry Junior League 8U All-Stars are the new World Champs!

Last season, a young Perry 8U All-Star team traveled to Laurel, Mississippi, to compete in the Dixie Youth Baseball Division 1 AA World Series but couldn’t quite close the show.

After falling just short in the series last year, the Perry 8U All-Stars, led by Coach John Whitaker, vowed to return to the big dance this season, swearing they would put in the difficult work needed to accomplish their goal — to bring the championship home to Perry, a feat that had never been accomplished by any 8U team in Georgia. And by working together and putting in the necessary work, along with shedding some blood and a few tears, they formed a unique bond — the glue that held all of the pieces together and carried them through the series. Without this unity, this bond between brothers, they couldn’t have won it all.

“They all work hard; they are all selfless. None of them are in it for themselves — and they just want to see the team succeed,” Coach Whitaker said. “They all have good attitudes and a great work ethic.”

In the championship game, the Perry All-Stars took on a strong team from South Carolina, one that they had beaten the previous day. Relying on stellar defense, they managed to hold South Carolina to just one run, winning 3-1.

“Our outfield really stepped up and made the plays they had to make,” Coach Whitaker stated. “The infield was phenomenal throughout the tournament.”

And those first-rate defensive skills were on display against South Carolina in the championship game, as they were able to get out of a few tough situations and only give up two runs in the game.

It was scoreless through the first inning, with both sides feeling each other out. Perry made several good plays on defense, including a quick throw to catch a South Carolina player in a rundown, which ended with the catcher, Tucker Jenrette, tagging the runner out at home, preserving the tie.

In the top of the second, however, Kristian Vandersee — who already had a record-setting seven dingers under his belt — went yard off the first pitch of the second inning, putting Perry on top 1-0. Thanks to Kristian’s moon shot, the new 8U Dixie Youth World Series home run record now stands at eight home runs — a huge accomplishment for the local kid and his family.

After keeping South Carolina scoreless, the rest of Perry’s bats started to wake up, and they put together three base hits in row by Huntley Ashley, Blaine Beatty and Walker White. Then Whit Whitaker, who ended up with an astonishing overall batting average for the series (.808), got another base knock and drove in a run, making it 2-0.

But the boys from South Carolina were not done yet. In the bottom of the same inning, South Carolina managed to load the bases and scored two runs off a base hit to center, knotting the score 2-2. Perry managed to keep their heads and regain their composure, something the coach and kids had worked on, and the defense bailed them out of the inning. That kind of discipline is a hallmark of good coaching.

The score stayed knotted until the sixth inning, when Perry opened things up. After two base hits — one by Easton Barker and the other by Whit Whitman — Gunner Salter drove in a run. Not to be denied, Tucker Barnes managed to add another run with a sac-fly, stretching the lead to 4-2. And a base hit to right by Kristian Vandersee drove in another run, making it 5-2, which would turn out to be the final score.

With the title on the line, the Perry boys put the game in the defense’s hands and the second baseman, Easton Barker, made key back-to-back defensive stops, before Huntley Ashley threw the ball to first for the final out of the game, cementing a new legacy in 8U Dixie Youth Baseball.

Coach John Whitaker, a man of principle, made sure that I give credit where credit is due and mention all of the coaches, as well as some assistants, who helped make this championship run possible: Keith Barker, Edwin Jenrette, Trent Barnes, Tony Vandersee, Dusty Salter and Kam Vandersee.

In what really was a team effort, the Perry 8U All-Stars, after a lot of hard work and perseverance, went down to Dothan, Alabama, and willed their way to a Dixie Youth Baseball Division 1 AA World Series Championship, proving that if you set a goal and believe in yourself, you can accomplish just about anything.

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