Dirt Devils Softball: Dirt Devils Archives

It was sunshine and softballs in Sardis, both 6's  and 10's were playing in the same park. We had a great time with both teams hanging out under the tent. Unfortunately neither team placed but the little girls showed they were a team to be reckoned with. 

We started one weekend and the weather had other plans. Both Dirt Devil teams got a game in Friday night and both teams won. We picked back up the next weekend and the weather cooperated for a little while but eventually forced everyone to change plans once again.

The 6U Devils played great all weekend long and at this age the stamina came to an end.The girls took home 3rd.  GREAT JOB! 

The 10U Devils played strong against Arkansas Swingers but let it slip away. Then went on to face a tough Maumelle Diamonds team. It was a defensive showdown for most of the game with both sides getting 3 up and 3 down several times. The Diamonds went on the win the tournament 12 days after it first started.  This year is a learning year. Even though we aren't coming home with a trophy every weekend, I am so proud of the girls and it will soon be their turn again.  Hang in there!

The first half of the season is in the books, Way to Go Devils!!!!!

The 6 year olds were AWESOME!!! They went undefeated the entire first half and captured the 1st place title. Great Job Ladies!! Next half they move up to the salt division of the league and there are a few rule changes to adjust to, however the girls are ready to face some tougher competition and are sure to give them a run for their money.

The 10 year olds had a great first half as well only losing to a second year Bombsquad team. They took 2nd place in their division and are now ready take on the second half.

The Girls opened up the tourn. with a win against Pink Dynamite.  Next up was Texas Heat 98.  It was a good game, it just seemed every ball we hit went straight to them.  After that, the girls were just played out and took another loss.  I am proud of the girls and we are getting there.

The 6U Devils took home 4th place.  I have to explain, The 6U division did have outsiders come in to play.  So, if you ask me, 6U Devils were 3rd place in District 9.  They played great all year long and have only been beaten by 6 year old teams.  All the girls are five except one.  I am so proud of them.  GO GET 'EM IN STATE! 

The 10U Devils also took home 4th place.  Not a whole lot to say, they did good and it just fell the other way.  GO GET 'EM IN STATE!

The 6U Devils took 4th in the 'C' bracket.  Again, stamina played a role in their defeat.  They actually fell out in a tie for 3rd, but it being the lower bracket, it didn't get played.  Their first game friday night was really the highlight.  We had been working on defense, defense, defense, all week long.  We threw out several girls at first, one being from deep shortstop, and caught 2 pop flys to win that game.  I was so excited and it was just a preview of what is to come next year.  I have already got a replacement for the one 6 year old we are losing and want to wish Josie Lee good luck in 8U.  We will miss her.

The 10U Devils just didn't have their bats show up at this tourn.  We squeaked by the Sweet Teaz Friday night.  Saturday wasn't any better, we lost two in a row and went home.  The girls deserved better and next year as a 2nd year 10U they will get it.

The families of these girls put on a great tourn. for a great cause.  This was our second year to be a part of it and will continue.  I thought it was a great way to end spring ball and I am looking forward to the fall.

Spring ball is in the books and we are preparing for fall ball.  We have made some big changes during this break and I am very excited to announce a new addition to the Dirt Devils.  Donnie Chism, Tim Dugan, Chad Purdy, and Mike Pendegrass will be coaching our new 8u team.  They are great coaches and I look forward to spending more time with them and their players.  I expect a few state titles are coming our way this fall.  GO DIRT DEVILS!

The new 8u players are:  Meagan Chism, Malori Pendegrass, Karlee Holt, Ragan Purdy, Ashlee Ward, Allie Dugan, Ashylyn Thompson, Cora Edwards, Hannah Skinner, and Kaitlyn Chesser.

I would also like to welcome some new players to the 6u and 10u team.  Aubree and Dazzlyn have filled out the roster for the 6u team.  Aubree came to us from Benton and Dazzlyn comes to us from White Hall.  They are both great kids with great parents and I am glad to have them.  The 10u team would like to welcome Regan and Sunni.  Regan is out of Little Rock and Sunni is also from White Hall.  I have competed against Regan for several years now and I am just glad she is now on my side.  Sunni is going to be a huge help as well, she definitely brings some power to the team.  I am very happy to have them both. 

We got our first fallball games in the books.  The 6U went 2-0 defeating their opponents 29-11.  The girls batted way better than I expected, we had 52 at bats with only 5 strikeouts.  We have been working mainly on defense and I was very happy with the girls performance.  They are going to be very hard to handle.  The 10U girls did great as well, going 3-0.  They got plenty of work on their baserunning and bunting.  They were matched up against first year teams so it was a little lopsided.  However, their teams got work on pitching and all teams made the best out of it.  Good luck to Bailey and the Central AR Storm.  The 8U had the weekend off and will debut at Bryant on the 12th, that weekend the 6U and 10U will be in Cabot.  Stay Tuned,  GO GET EM GIRLS.

The 8U finally had their debut and didn't dissapoint.  The girls had 3 games at Bryant and outscored their opponents 41-2.  Malori Pendergrass led the team in runs scored with 6, Meagan Chism led RBI's with 4, and Aricka Henson along with Ashlee Ward had a perfect Batting Average.  Madison Crow had the only homerun, but I expect many more of those to come.  AWESOME JOB!!!!  You can see them again in Bryant on the 25th. 

The 10U played in the Briggler Benefit tourn. for a young girl with cancer.  Great tourn. for a great cause.  The girls did well but had an injury and had to finish the tourn. with 8 players.  We did have a 7 year old fill in and help us out, THANKS MCKENZIE!!  The girls ended up in a dissapointing 4th place, but Sunni is getting better and other teams better be on the lookout.  Watch out for us next weekend in Jacksonville.

I was so proud of these girls this weekend.  We arrived that morning at 8:00 and played until 3:00 in the morning, 19 HOURS, that is Crazy.  I can't say enough about each one of them, every girl had an important play or hit that led to the victory.  We were visitor and ended the game with a double play, I have never seen so many people be so awake at 3:00.  I love this game and love it when the girls get what they deserve.

USFA FALL STATE CHAMPS 

It was a great weekend for the Dirt Devils.  I would like to give a big CONGRATULATIONS to Raven.  She has given us the newest addition to the Dirt Devils with the birth of her lil sister.  Everything went great for her mother and her sister and Raven was back at practice last night.  Congratulations to Marcus and Bridgette. 

On another great note, the 6u and 8u both took 1st this weekend going undefeated.  All the girls did great, but Kennedy Frost had 2 homeruns at the best times to help led her team to victory.  She took home the team trophy.  I want to wish that Britni and Piper get to feeling better and hope that you are both ready for State next weekend. 

The 8U had a tough game against a team that was playing several 10U players, but yet they pulled it out.  I was so proud of them.  They were home team, time was expired, down a few runs, and the bats came alive.  Aricka Henson roped one to the outfield to get them going and the other girls followed.  Allie Dugan scored the winning run on some great base running and the stands went wild.  The girls showed a lot of heart and they are ready to take first in state next weekend.  Good Luck Girls!!!

I know, I know, I haven't posted in forever. I have been super busy.  I am going to give this fun job to a great team mom that will do much better than me.  Now, to the important stuff:

ASA FALLSTATE:

6U- the girls did great and went through pool play undefeated.  Then came the dreaded wait and a single elimination bracket.  The girls played great but it wasn't enough and they went home in 2nd place.  I hated it for the girls because they deserved first.  I am so proud of them.  I can't wait till next season, these girls are a force to be reckoned with.

8U- I am so proud of these girls for doing as well as they did.  This team has only been together for a short time and we are so excited to have all of them.  The girls have been adapting and playing new positions and I applaud them for all their patience.  The girls took home the 2nd place trophy and I know next year when we have had them together that they will take 1st.  Great job girls.

10U- After playing 19 hours and winning usfa fallstate a previous weekend, our girls were exhausted.  We had sickness and weren't able to practice the next couple weeks.  We came out and didn't play well at all.  It is all part of the game and we will come back with our heads held high.  I am proud of you.

I would like to welcome Katelyn "kdog" Cleveland to the Dirt Devils 99.  We battled with her every weekend a couple years ago when she played for Thunder.  I won't forget in Greenbrier that she hit the ball to win the game for them in the beginning of the 2008 season.  I was mad.  They shouldn't have won, I am just glad she is on our team now.

I would like to announce the return of Macey "BooBoo" Jaramillo.  She has been with me since the beginning of 6U, I lost her last year for fallball.  She is now back to where she belongs, with the Dirt Devils.  Glad to have you back.

These two additions complete the Dirt Devils 99 for 2010.  These girls are going to be hard to handle.  Congrats on making the team and here they all are:  Mandi Kret, Macey Jaramillo, Lynlee Broadway, Regan Martin, Raven Loveless, Sunni Fratesi, Katelyn Cleveland, Celina McClendon, Lauren Frost, Katie DeBerry, and Breanna Langford.  I cant wait to hit the field. 

The girls had their ups and downs this weekend and went home in 3rd.  We went back and worked on our mistakes and dont expect many more 3rd places.  I was very happpy with the way our bats looked and want to congratulate Macey for going 5 for 7.  You can tell she works at practice and on her own.  She took home the trophy for the weekend.  Go Dirt Devils!

Last weekend in the Big Boom the girls lost to Thunder 00 Black by 1 run and drew them for the first game this weekend and wanted revenge.  The girls came out with a bang and won convincingly.  The rest of the tournament was played well until the 1st inning of the championship game and everything seemed to find a gap on us.  The Dirt Devils took a disappointing 2nd place finish.  Go get em next weekend.

On April 3, 2010, Dirt Devils 01 took their third straight First Place Victory at the Kenneth Strange Memorial! Congratulations to the Girls and Coaches on a great tournament!

After a weeks delay due to rain, Dirt Devils 01 stormed the Benton Ballpark, taking first place in the 4th Annual Big Boom Classic.  Once again, congratulations on a well-played tournament!

DIRT DEVILS 99 TAKE 2ND PLACE IN 1ST TOURNEY OF 2011! 

The Dirt Devils 99 team started the season off right with a 2nd place finish in the Open Season Shootout in Benton this past weekend.  After winning our 1st 2 games of the tourney, we faced one of the best 11U teams in the state,Thunder 99, who handled us 5-0 in the finals of the winners bracket.  We then dropped down and played another 11U powerhouse, Pink Dynamite (who Thunder had beaten earlier 3-2).  We beat Pink 2-0 with Raven on the mound and everyone else playing great defense behind her.  Beating Pink really showed these girls what they are capable of, and they carried that momentum into the finals to face Thunder again.  It was a hard fought game, with Thunder going up early 2-0, but the girls didn't let that get to them, and fought back to carry a 3-2 lead into the final inning.  Thunder scored 2 runs in the top half of the inning.  Our girls rallied in the bottom half and got a runner to 3rd base, but couldn't get her home.  Congratulations to Thunder on their 1st place finish.  I am extremely proud of our girls and hope they are proud of themselves.  I am looking forward to a fun filled season with this great group of girls and parents.

Steve Little

The Dirt Devils 99 team made it 2 weekends in a row with a great showing.  After finishing 2nd in Sherwood last weekend to the Crushers 98 team, they finished 2nd again this past weekend to Thunder 98, beating some very good teams along the way in both tournaments.  Some of those teams included Red Hot Rookies, Maumelle Diamonds 98, and Pink Dynamite.  They competed very well gainst Thunder losing to them early in the day Saturday 1-0, and then again in the Championship game 2-0.  They played 7 games in this tournament and only allowed 3 runs to score in those 7 games combined.  Great pitching and defense by the entire team.  We feel like these girls can compete with any team in the state and we couldn't be prouder of them.

Steve Little

After a bit of a rough start in Bryant Last Weekend, the Dirt Devils 01 showed a whole lot of heart and a whole lot of improvement in the Open Season Shootout in Benton this weekend.  The girls are really beginning to gel and it was very evident in their come from behind victory in the Championship game of the drop down bracket.  They have truly proven themselves to be a competitive first-year team in 10U. 

We would like to extend our condolences to the family of Tom Davies who passed away this weekend.  Many of us have played with Kate and have known Cheryl and her family for a long while.   Our thoughts and prayers are with them in this tragic time.

The Dirt Devils '01 would like to extend a big welcome to our newest team member and her family.  We are very happy to have Madison "Maddie" Stokes on board our team.  We have watched Maddie play for years and know that she is a great addition to our talented '01 team!

Welcome, Maddie!

March 12th 2011

These girls really came out this weekend at Bryant. For the first tournament these girls showed the coaches they really were ready to play.  We have worked hard all winter and it really shows with these girls.  We are not only a great team but we have become a really close family.  They played lights out!  Great job girls and keep up the good work!  Lady Hornet Classic Invitational and first place goes to DIRT DEVILS 02!   

March 19th 2011

We started out slow, but we gained speed toward the end of this tournament.  We never gave up!  We played some good teams this weekend and still came out on top.  Great job to both the 02 and 03 team for bringing home 1st place trophies! Lets keep it going for next weekend!

March 26th 2011

All I can say is great job to all 5 teams that came out to Benton this weekend. The cold rainy weather didnt stop these girls from going undefeated again in yet another tournament.  We didnt play our best offensive games this weekend but our defense was awesome!  When people thought we were not going to win these girls dug deep and never lost their focus.  Great job for another 1st place trophy!

All I can say today is I'm so proud to be a part of this special group of players, coaches and parents!  These girls always find a way to win!  They never seem to feel the pressure when they are down.  They have done it again, another undefeated tournament!  This is 4 tournaments in a row with no losses.  We played a very good Tanel 02 team this weekend.  We didnt play our best this weekend but we played well enough to win, and that takes alot of heart!  This weekend we outscored our apponents 55-16.  Keep up the good work!

Salem Invitational

We played hard this weekend.  Hurricanes came in with a vengence and gave us our first loss.  Not being able to practice really showed this weekend, but we still played with alot of heart.  We came in 2nd to a very good Hurricanes team.  Hurricanes gave us our first loss to put us in the loser bracket but we faught back and played them in the championship game.  We got 2nd but we battled to the end.  Great Job girls!  We still brought home a trophy.

D9 CHAMPIONS

Our girls had two weekends off and I was a little nervous coming into this weekend.  We took off for memorial day weekend and the following weekend wasn't exactly by choice!!!  Anyways, we worked hard in practice and they came out on top.  I want to explain that we didn't even play in our district.  All D9 teams played each other in a lower division bracket, except us.  We played in an upper division with D3 and D10 teams.  It was pretty much an 'A' class state tourn. for our district.  So, I do want to congratulate Synergy and Knockouts.  They left in 2nd and 3rd, but they are really #1 champs in their district.  I was so proud of our girls for winning it all after two weeks off.  Our defense is amazing me every weekend.  I can't believe the things the girls are doing at this age.  I am so proud of them and can't say enough.  I do want to shout out to Annabeth for her batting this weekend.  She became the AB of old and stroked the ball.  She went home with the game ball and bracket poster for the weekend.  GO WIN STATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

D9 UNDEFEATED LEAGUE CHAMPIONS 

I am so proud of our girls, they went 16-0 in league to be undefeated champions.  League parks consist of Benton, Bryant, Salem, Sardis, Haskell, East End, and Arch Street.  I am so proud of our girls and consider Saline County to have some of the best athletes around.  I want to thank all the other league teams for playing us every week, I know that some of them didnt look forward to it.  It really helped us defensively and we wouldn't be where we are without those games.  I am so proud of our girls.  Great Job!!!

USFA STATE CHAMPS

It was an odd weekend.  We have been playing at the top of our game and this weekend was no different.  We started off beating the Knockouts 12-3, Synergy 20-14, and then Lil Rascals 19-17.   After playing the Lil Rascals we were the only undefeated team, but the way the bracket was set up we had to turn around and play again.  We played Synergy in the best 6U game I have ever seen.  The game went 8 innings and our girls were exhausted by the time it was over.  We suffered our first loss after playing for hours in a row.  We fought back through and made it back to the championship game.  The game was called due to weather.  Dirt Devils and Synergy both had one loss to one another and couldn't finish it on the field.  We settled on being Co-champs and would settle it on the field next weekend at ASA State.

This was the worst weekend of the Dirt Devils this season.  We have finished 1st or 2nd every weekend this year.  We have had only 5 losses all year.  We went out and laid an egg.  We didn't even get to play Synergy again and settle last weekend.  They didn't do any better though.  If you asked anyone there who would be in the championship game, they would say Dirt Devils and Synergy.  They left in 4th and us in 3rd.  I couldn't believe it.  I will tell you this, there is now way we were going to end the season that way.  Great job by the Knockouts and Wild Thangs.

ASA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

We came here with a chip on our shoulder after the way we played in ASA State.  We were also super excited that Wild Thangs was in this tournament as well.  We played awesome all weekend.  I can't even explain how many awesome plays we had.  Line drive catches, center field pop flys, and 3 pop fly catches in a row to end an inning with an opponent on 3rd base.  It was a feeling that I know I will never forget.  I am so proud of these girls and can't wait to start 8U with them.

WHAT A YEAR 

League Champs, District Champs, State Champs, and National Champs.  What else can I say?  They went 41-7 and I have never seen a better 6u team in my career.  I know that they will continue doing this well, they are a great group of girls.  Thanks so much to the parents and players for all the memories this year.

 Coach Chris 

We worked hard this week and made some adjustments and it paid off.  We were the only 1st year team in the tournament and we held our own.  Our first two games were against great competition and they put us in the drop down bracket.  In the drop down, we played two more 2nd year teams and played very well.  We sent them both home and took 1st place.  Our mental errors this weekends were greatly reduced and our bats came alive.  Super proud of the girls and cant wait till next weekend. 

I want to welcome our new team members on the team, some came in the fall and some this spring.  They are fitting right in and I know they will do great things.  Laykin Harstfield, Laney Crutchfield, and Kassie Rhodes are now going to join in on the winning tradition.  We are glad to have you ladies. 

We had a great weekend and played more like a 2nd year team this weekend.  We went undefeated and outscored our opponents 51-21.  We beat a really good 2nd year team in the finals 9-2.  Our defense shined and looked like the team I know we can be.  Great job to the girls and much respect to the Renegades.  I know they will be after us. 

The first game we had to play a 2nd year team and played a pretty close game.  We then played the Sugar Bears and with time expired and down by 4, we had to score 5 to win.  The girls came up and fought back like there wasn't any chance we wouldn't win.  We scored 5 runs and never gave up an out.  The girls wouldn't be denied.  The Sugar Bears came back to play us in the Championship and brought their BATS with them.  They beat us and then beat us again by 1 in the if game.  Our girls played great and just got beat by bigger bats.  It was a great weekend of ball.

Overall, it was kind of an off weekend.  Some mental mistakes and the bats being on and off resulted in a dissapointing 3rd place.  I will say that both teams ahead of us were 2nd year and we have high expectations even though we are 7 years old.  We are looking forward to our next tournament in the a/b division.

It was a crazy weekend.  We hosted an upper and a lower bracket of 8u and we were going to play up.  One of the lower teams dropped out so we played in the upper and lower division.  We obviously lost the first two in the upper division but they werent blowouts.  We have come a long way this season already and hope to narrow the gap even more by the end of the year.  We went undefeted in the lower division and took another 1st place.  I am so proud of the girls and they have earned their upcoming off week.

The '01's are practicing and looking forward to the 2011 Spring Season!  Live arm...here we come!  We feel great about the progress we have made so far and believe our girls will be very competitive in 10U this season.

We would like to give a big welcome to our newest players.   We are so very happy and excited to have you on our team!

Taylor Barron
Sydney Keaton
Kassi Martin
Cortney Wilcox

We are also excited about playing league at the new Bishop Park in Bryant and will be competing in weekend tournaments as well.  Our first tournament will be in Bryant the weekend of March 11th.