DAYTON — The Xenia Scouts 10U baseball team capped its 2018 youth season with a final-tournament win in the ninth annual Brick City Blast Wood Bat Classic, to take their overall record to 23-5. They joined other Midwest Ohio Baseball League teams being recognized by the Dayton Dragons, June 23 at Fifth Third Field.
The Scouts, led by Head Coach Jake Kingsolver, finished second in their league, second in the USSSA May Slugfest and won the Centerville Memorial Bash Tournament. The team was 12 -3 in Midwest Ohio Baseball 10U Division 1 play.
“The team is a well rounded group of kids supported by great parents,” Assistant Coach Brandon Salyers said. “The young players have been busting their butts since January when we started working indoors. It has paid off for them this year. The Division 1 of Midwest Ohio Baseball is the highest level of baseball they can play for this age group.”
Work ethic and versatility have helped create a successful 2018 campaign for the 10U Scouts team.
“Position flexibility is a great thing when you are dealing with young ball players. A kid that can play outfield, multiple infield positions and also pitch is a really valuable asset,” Salyers said. “As coaches, we are very thankful to have the players in this position. We have some pretty strict pitch-count rules to protect the young pitchers’ arms. They can pitch no more than 60 pitches. If they do throw the maximum 60 pitches, it is a minimum of four days rest. We are very mindful of the players, their limits and young arms.”
Salyers said the team never seemed to give up, even when they were trailing big in some games.
“They have a never-give-up mentality where no deficit is too big to overcome. They’ve proven it in several games,” he said “We’ve been down as much as 10 runs with two innings left and came back to win a critical game. We’ve been in similar situations in other games. Our team is built on speed. We don’t necessarily have a lot of power, but every player is athletic and fast. We’ve been aggressive on the base paths. The kids having those skills, and knowledge of the game, puts us in a great position to score. It’s been a very exciting year with a wonderful group of players.”
The Xenia Scouts Youth Baseball program will host a Summer Camp from 9 a.m.-noon July 10-12 for kids ages 7-12 at Grady’s Field, on the Athletes In Action Sports Complex grounds. Camp information, and tryout information for the 2019 Scouts youth baseball teams, please visit xeniascouts.com/youth .