Who wouldn’t be happy to wake up in the morning and find out that they made an All-Star team?
I can’t think of anyone in the system who doesn’t enjoy being right here, right now and playing for something beyond the city championship. Every Plant City Little League All-Star I’ve talked to has been in a good mood lately and couldn’t wait to get out there and play.
Many of the athletes are looking forward to the same things: winning, playing well, having fun and being with their friends. What I didn’t know right away, and what I wanted to learn, was how our local All-Star coaches feel about the postseason. So I asked many of them for their thoughts on All-Star season and got a variety of responses.
Several of the coaches are running All-Star teams for the first time and are looking forward to seeing how far they can go with their squads.
“Just to watch these girls have fun, and watch them go out with everything they have and come out with a win,” 9-10 softball coach Christina Dovale says.
New softball coach Drulene Wright is already going straight to states, and the chance to get that first postseason win on Florida’s biggest stage is on her mind just as much as everything else that comes with postseason play.
“It’s pretty cool that, in my first year, we’re playing in the state tournament,” Wright says. “And having fun, and bringing girls to their full potential is also going to be great.”
For the coaches who have been on this stage before, All-Star season has several different meanings.
In some cases, this will be the last hurrah for players’ Little League careers before they have to move on. The chance to help these players end their PCLL careers on a high note is a driving force for some, like Majors softball coach James Swinson.
“This year, knowing that the 12-year-old girls — this is their last Little League year,” Swinson says. “They have a chance to do something special at this age group that’s different than younger kids. They’re playing for a state title and could go on to the Southeast region World Series. Watching these girls throughout the year, and knowing this is their last year in Little League, it’s special for me.”
Some coaches, like Seniors baseball coach Jeff Jacobsen, are partly driven by nostalgia. Jacobsen, for example, is a Plant City native who grew up on the same fields that his players are currently playing on, and coaching around All-Star time brings back fond memories of his childhood.
“It’s just being with the kids out here,” Jacobsen says. “These are the kids that are playing ball in their extra time, in the heat of the day in the summertime. It really brings back memories of the ‘Boys of Summer.’”
And then there are the coaches who love the game so much any opportunity to play under a different set of rules is welcome. One such coach is Jeff Conyers, of 10-11 baseball, who says that playing under postseason rules is a great way to test himself as a manager.
“What I like most is that it’s a true form of baseball,” Conyers says. “You bat nine and you have to stay on top of your subbing. There’s different rules that apply to tournament play, so that’s what I look forward to most. It’s a challenge for the kids, but it challenges me as well.”
These coaches may not be seen bouncing around the fields in excitement, like their players will likely be, but make no mistake: They’re just as happy to be here as anyone.