The 2011-2012 14U Rattlers history of on-the-field success include being **39-time** Tournament Champions or Finalists in the following tournaments:

The 14U Rattlers headed up the I-5 north looking for some top notch competetion for the Thanksgiving weekend in the AAU Turkey Leftover Classic.  The 10 team tournament featured some of the best teams in Southern California including the Ladera Grays, SD Scorpions, Pride BBC and our old nemesis from Cooperstown, Team Trinity.  The Rattlers opened the tournament with a 3 inning 12-0 mercy win over Pride BBC (white).  However, doubling back from an evening game to a 8:30 morning game against Pride BBC (white) big brother, Pride BBC Blue didn't go so well.  After some costly errors, Pride BBC (blue) blew open a scoreless game in the 3rd inning for 7 runs and then cruised to a 12-4 win.  The Rattlers responded in their final pool game vs the LA Wave by erupting for 16 runs in a mercy shortened win.  For seeding in the 10 team tournament the top six teams made the gold Division 1 bracket.  Pride BBC blue was the only 3-0 team while 5 other teams tied with 2-1 records for the Division 1 bracket, including the Rattlers who were excited to be assigned the six seed as that meant a rematch with Team Trinity who drew the #3 seed. 

The Rattlers history with Trinity started about a year and half ago in Cooperstown Allstar Village where Trinity and the Rattlers met in the Championship game, both going 9-0 to get there.  For that tournament, Trinity brought in two of the best players in the world, including the USSSA Elite World Series MVP and Offensive Tournament MVP to round out an already solid team.  Trinity beat our scrappy team, 13-5 but our guys never quit in that game.  Since that time, Trinity and our guys met as 13U teams and the Rattlers fought again but lost 5-2 in a semi-final tournament game.  Trinity has continued to be a Southern California powerhose and nationally recognized team by going 17-3 in USSSA Majors as 13s and 5-0 in USSSA as 14s, winning numerous tournaments in other organzations such as Xtreme Diamond Sports, AAU and Triple Crown.

The game opened up with the Rattlers jumping out to a 2-0 lead and never looking back.  Trinity battled back to make it 2-1 and then closed a 5-1 gap to 6-4.  However, our guys never faltered as they withstood rally after rally and held on for 7-4 win to eliminate Trinity from the tournament and gain some Cooperstown justice for not only themselves but every other team that doesn't bring in ringers to win big time tournaments.  In the following game, the Rattlers lost 11-10 to the #2 seed SD Scorpions in a friendly, competetive game in which featured 5 lead changes.  They tied for 3rd place in the tournament and although they didn't make the Championship, no hearts were broken as redemption was found!  Great job Rattlers!

The 13U Rattlers stayed local this year and played the Extreme Diamond Sports (XDS) World Series this year in San Diego.  The field was competetive with 16 teams from all over Southern and Northern California, Washington, Nevada and Arizona.  The team was already short handed and compounded that by coming out of the gate flat in their first 3 pool games.  The boys played well enough to win their first game against a team from Northern California, Showcase Baseball black, 8-4.  However, they got out played in back to back 3-1 losses to our crosstown friendly rivals, the Santee Hornets and then to a solid (and eventual 3 seed) ABD Aztecs Red team, 13-5.

Needing a win to make the upper division playoffs, the Rattlers drew one of the pre-tournament favorites in the Milltown Bomnbers (WA), who were looking to lock up the #1 seed.  The Bombers had finished second at the TCS World Series 2 years ago and had compiled a 24-5 record in USSSA this year, including being 9-3 in Majors and were the only undefeated team in the tournament.  The Rattlers jumped out to a 4-run lead and held on to win 6-2 to even out their record.  

The 16 team field was very even as every team had at least one loss and their were 8 teams at 2-2.  The flat start came out to haunt the Rattlers and they dropped to the AA division as the #1 seed after being 2 runs over on runs allowed tiebreakers.  However, a renewed team vowed to roar back in playoffs.  The Rattlers opened the Quarterfinal game by cruising to a 11-1 mercy win over the ABD Aztecs Blue and then had a nail biter, come from behind walk off win in the Semi-Final game against the California Legends.  In the Championship game, the Rattlers drew a rematch with Showcase Baseball (16-3 in USSSA this year).  The guys showed solid composure in putting together a methodical 6-1 win to secure the Championship!  In a twist of irony, the Rattlers learned that the Milltown Bombers won the upper division Championship in a mercy win, their only loss coming to the Rattlers.  Clearly the Rattlers showed what they are made of and played with tons of heart!.  Thank you to all of our opponents for their good play and sportsmanship! 

The Rattlers had a emotion filled weekend as it celebrated a few "seniors" who will be moving onto high school baseball in the summer.  For their three seniors, they had a combined 12 years experience playing with the Rattlers and almost 700 games played.  It was a weekend of good laughs, good tears and some amazing games as they graduate to the next level of baseball.   The Rattlers opened the tournament as always with a nothing is easy but we got it done type game with Gonzalez Sports Academy.  The Rattlers down 6-5 in the top of the 7th, scored 6 runs to take a 5 run lead.  After a bit of nail biting in the bottom of the inning, the guys held on for a 11-9 win.  Their second game, they cruised to a 9-1 mercy rule win over a SD Longhorns playing up.  

On Sunday, they played an old rival in the RSF Titans Blue who needed a win to advance to Monday playoffs.  In a well played game on both sides, our guys overcame a 2-0 deficit to win 8-4 and ensure a trip to playoffs.  The guys rotated it around and lost handily to the mighty Encinitas Reds, 11-1 in the night cap.  On Monday playoffs, the Rattlers faced off again versus Gonzalez Sports Academy.  After being down 2-1 the whole game, the Rattlers tied it in the bottom of the 6th inning.  After a Gonzalez player trucked one of our seniors at the plate, (resulting in an automatic out), the Rattlers went to the bottom of the 7th needing one to make the 'ship. After getting 2 outs in the bottom of the seventh and 2 strikes, Zach H. came through with a clutch single to win it for the guys.  All they we had nothing left for the Reds in the Championship and lost, it was a great weekend of baseball for all.

With a out-of-state trip planned in February, the Rattlers decided to stay local and support the Blues in the SD Blues Pre-President's Day Weekend Showdown, Feb. 12/26, 2011.  It was a small local event but with playing a wood bat tournament for the first time and a couple of the other teams bringing out 14U players, it was expected to be more challenging.  The Rattlers opened the tournament with back-to-back wins over the Sycuan Redhawks 10-2 and the SD Turbos 12-3 to put themselves in the driver's seat.  The following Sunday was rained out, moving the tournament a week back and the Rattlers played the other 2-0 team, the Hornets BBC. Solid pitching and defense led the way to a 4-3 win, putting the Rattlers 3-0 and guaranteed them the #1 seed.  The Rattlers rotated it around and dropped their last pool play game 11-8 but settled into a rematch vs. the Hornets in the battle for East County.  The bats were cold all tournament for the Rattlers as they just couldn't get going but pitching and defense win Championships as the Rattlers won a purists' delight, 1-0 to secure another tournament win!  Thanks to all our opponents for their hard play and good sportsmanship.

The Rattlers put away the umbrellas after what seemed like a month of rain to head to Riverside BLD for the 2011 USSSA MLK Weekend Super NIT, Jan 15-17, 2011.  Although the guys lost in the Championship to the Demarinin Bombers, the boys had secured one of their best comeback wins EVER!.  The tournament opened with a lackluster performcance in their opening game, falling 5-2 to the Tomateros (white).  The Rattlers kicked it into high gear and won in convincing fashion, 10-2 over So Cal Mizuno in the nightcap.  Still needing a win to secure a place in the upper gold division of the 10 team tournament, the Rattlers jumped out to 2-0 lead on the Corona Cougars before breaking open the game for a 12-2 mercy win to secure the #2 overall seed.  In the 2 vs 3 seed playoff matchup, the boys got a rematch with Tomateros (white) on Monday, not knowing the game would evolve into one of the most exciting Rattlers game ever. 

The game started with the Tomateros going up 2-0 with timely hitting before the Rattlers took back the lead 5-2 in the 3rd inning on a costly throwing error.  The Rattlers went tit-for-tat as they gave back 3 runs to the Tomateros with sloppy play of their own.  Tomateros stretched their lead to 7-5 going into the last inning and the fate of the Rattlers seemed sealed...but alas, they showed no quit.  With their 7-10 batters coming up, the Rattlers clawed and fought for 2 runs tieing the game at 7 apiece.  With the winning run at 3rd, the Tomateros intentionally loaded the bases to bring up a force out but a clutch sacrifice fly scored the winning run from 3rd to advance the Rattlers to the Gold Division Championship game!  Although the Rattlers had no juice left and lost to the Bombers it still was a fun and exciting weekend of baseball.  Thank you to all of our opponents, especially the Tomateros for their sportsmanship and good play.

The 13U Rattlers decided a change of scenery was the best thing to get them out of a mini-funk where they finished 4th out of 6 teams in their previous tournament (TCS SD Showdown).  So why not, head up to San Clemente and play the USSSA Fall State Championships over Dec. 4/5.  In a quality 8 team tournament, the field was set.  The Rattlers opened the tournament against the OC Hurricanes and immediately got out of their team wide hitting slump, banging out 10 runs and used their pitching depth enroute to a 10-6 win.  The Rattlers second pool game was against an all too familiar foe, the Long Beach Dirtclods.  The Dirtclods are a quality, established travel team that had a bit of a history with the Rattlers.  The Rattlers had one of their best comeback wins ever versus the Dirtclods, coming back from 8-0 to win in the USSSA Veteran's Day NIT in 2007 but the Dirtclods avenged that loss by beating us in the Championship game in that tournament and sending us home in a semi-final game in  2008. 

In typical fashion, the Dirtclods opened the tournament with a shutout win and ran out their ace against the Rattlers for their pool play game.  In a game dominated by pitching and defense, the snakes broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the 6th to go ahead 3-1.  The Dirtclods showed no quit as they loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the 7th.  The Rattlers understand the word is "calm" as they recorded three straight outs for the WIN!.  However, in a quality tournament like this, three teams finished 2-0 and the Rattlers ended up with the 3 seed but made the upper Gold division for playoffs. 

In the semi-final game on Sunday, the Rattlers faced a friendly rival from Carlsbad, the always well-coached, No Fear BBC.  Again it was a story of pitching and defense as the Rattlers methodically scored 5 runs over the first 5 innings while holding No Fear scoreless. The Rattlers again stymied a late rally, winning 5-1 to make it to the Finals.  In the Gold Division Championship, the Rattlers got a rematch with the Dirtclods.  In a well-played game on both sides, the Rattlers methodically opened a 6-1 lead into the middle of 6th inning.  With rain and lightning getting a bit too close the game was called official and the Rattlers secured another tournament Championship.  Thanks to all of their opponents as each game was well played on both sides and the sportsmanship was excellent.  GO RATTLERS!! 

The 12U Rattlers made the trip of a lifetime to go to Cooperstown Allstar Village Aug. 6-13 and it proved to be just that.  The Rattlers bunked, ate meals, laughed and made memories together for the entire week in Cooperstown.  In between all the fun time in the bunks, pin trading and taking in the beautiful sites around Cooperstown, they found time to play some baseball.  The Rattlers started the tournament on the right foot, winning the team relay Skills Competetion on Saturday night.  They followed the opening night festivities with 6 games of pool play from Sunday through Tuesday.  On Sunday, they opened with back to back wins over the South Jersey Iron Pigs (NJ) and Kent White Sox (NY) 10-2 and 14-4, respectively. 

On day 2 of the tournament, the guys kept up their winning ways beating the Oneonta Jackets (NY), 14-1 and the East Coast Eagles (MA), 2-0.  As the Rattlers moved into day 3 of the tournament they were vieing for one of the top seeds.  They continued their team wide torrid hitting streak and won their final two games over the Mchenry County Outlaws, 22-1 and the Richmond County Bombers (NY), 3-0.  By going 6-0 and only allowing 8 runs total in six games, the Rattlers earned the overall #2 seed and a first round bye.

In the first round of playoffs, the Rattlers drew a rematch with #15 seed, Mchenry County Outlaws but the result was the same with a 14-1 Rattlers win.  In the quarterfinals, the Rattlers faced off against another team from California, the #10 seeded, Diamond Bar Destroyers.  The Destroyers looked very strong hitting 5 home runs in their playoff game enroute to a mercy rule win but strong pitching,defense and power hitting led to a 11-1 Rattlers win to launch the Rattlers into the final four.  On Thursday, the Rattlers drew the #6 seeded Huntington Beach Vikings who had gone 8-1 so far in the tournament.  The boys jumped out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back winning 12-2 to launch them to the Championship Game! 

In a David vs. Goliath matchup, the Rattlers faced off against the #1 seeded and also undefeated, 9-0 Team Trinity.  Trinity was already a dominant team, belting over 60 home runs in 9 games but were even better with bringing in two of the top players in the country, Isaac Gutierrez and William Aguilar.  Gutierrez and Aguilar showed why they were the 2010 USSSA Elite World Series Defensive Player and Tournament MVP from the #1 Travelball Select rated 12U team in the country, Tomateros De California.  Aguilar had batted almost 1.000 to this point in the tournament while belting 15 homeruns while Gutierrez showed an 80+ MPH fastball and 60 MPH curveball.  The Rattlers showed a ton of heart, scoring 5 runs off of Gutierrez and the rest of Team Trinity, including belting 3 home runs but Trinity had too much firepower as the Rattlers fell 13-5.  Nevertheless, the Rattlers finished the tournament 9-1 and closed their 12U season with memories for a lifetime!  Congrats to all our opponents for games well played and their sportsmanship. See the write up here in Travelball Select News -- http://www.travelballselect.com/news-national/4749-cooperstown-allstar-village-week-9-update

High-fives all around for the 12U Rattlers over Memorial Day weekend.  The boys got off to a sluggish start in the USTSA Memorial Day NIT over the weekend.  With a couple of players recovering from a bout with a stomach virus and a few more recovering from 6th grade camp, the boys came out flat in their 3 pool play games losing to RSF Titans 10-4, tieing the Downey Express 2-2 and then dropping a game to the Ballhogs 6-5.  However, as they have done so many times before, the 12U Rattlers told the coaches in not so many words, "We got this" as they rolled out into the playoffs as a lowly 5 seed.  The boys came out with a purpose and the experience of a tournament saavy team and rolled to a 14-1 convincing victory over the 3 seed Santee Hornets in the quarterfinals.  In the semi-finals, the Rattlers faced a quality team in the 2 seed and 2009 TCS World Series Champions,  San Diego Scorpions.  In a classic game, that featured solid defensive plays and quality pitching on both sides, the Rattlers came out on top 3-2 to advance to the Championship against the undefeated RSF Titans.  Unfortunately, every hard hit ball was right at somebody and the Titans played solid defense in winning 5-0 to take 1st place.  Nevertheless, it was a long fun weekend of baseball! (where's the mullet trophy with the Scorpions, Hornets and Rattlers representing east county!).  Thank you to all of our opponents for their sportsmanship and quality play.

After nearly a month off and eyeing redemption after a dissappointing 7th place finish (out of 26 teams) in the TCS World Series in Steamboat Springs, CO, the Rattlers got back together over Labor Day weekend for the USTBA Super State Championships.  The boys opened the tournament against a solid Bonita Legends team but pitching and defense led the way to a hard fought 3-2 win.  In the nightcap, the Rattlers offense finally came alive and the boys cruised to a 10-2 win over the San Diego Diablos to close out the opening day of the tournament, 2-0.  With a morning game on Sunday and needing a win to get into the Ultimate Division and the rest of the day off, the Rattlers came out motivated and won 13-0 in a mercy shortened game over the Encinitas Bashers.  With that win, the Rattlers secured the #1 overall seed and one of only 2 byes in the 22-team strong tournament. 

In playoffs, the Rattlers drew the Bonita Legends again.  In arguably the most classic Rattler game EVER, our boys jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Legends came back to tie the game and then take a 3-2 lead in the top of the 3rd.  Our guys kept battling and eventually with two outs in the bottom of the 6th, tied the game 3-3 to force extra innings.  Both teams pitched very well and played stellar defense as the score remained tied going all the way into the top of the 9th inning where the Legends took the lead on double, scoring the lead runner from the California tiebreaker.  Great Rattlers defense led to a double play ending the inning and keeping the game at 4-3 going into the bottom of the 9th where our guys got their chance with a free runner at 2nd.  After some timely hitting to tie the game at 4-4, the Rattlers finally prevailed in dramatic walk-off fashion, 5-4 to propel them into the Ultimate Division Championship game!  In that game, our boys ran out of gas and eventually fell to the undefeated Five Star Dirtdogs (blue).   Overall, we went 4-1 and once again, the Rattlers showed the heart of a champion as they left everything on the field in being USTBA California Super State Championships Ultimate Division Finalists!!  Big thanks to all of our opponents, especially the Legends and Dirtdogs for their good sportsmanship and quality play.

The 11U Rattlers made the trip to Palm Springs, CA for the 11th Annual USSSA Memorial Day NIT May 23-25.  The boys opened the tournament with a 15-1 win over the Palm Desert Longhorns before falling in the night cap to a team from Palm Springs, the Angels Desert Baseball, 4-2.  On Sunday, our boys rebounded for a 10-6 win over the Palm Desert Scrubs.  Going into the nightcap against the Wilson/Demarini Bombers, both teams were 2-1 and looking to earn a first round bye.  The Rattlers jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the first inning and never looked back, cruising to an 11-3 win to earn the #2 seed and a first round bye.  On Monday, the Rattlers faced off against the Palm Desert Scrubs and broke open a 0-0 tie in the 4th to score 8 runs over the final 2 innings to win 8-0 to advance to their 3rd consecutive Championship game.  In the Finals, the boys faced off again versus the Angels.  However, this time would be different as the Rattlers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first and never looked back, getting up 9-0 before eventually winning in a mercy-shortened 11-3 game to bring home the gold.  Overall, the Rattlers went 5-1, had 4 mercy rule wins and outscored their opponents 57-17.  Most importantly, the boys had a blast, a great weekend and brought home another Rattlers Championship!!  Thanks to all the teams we played for their good sportsmanship and good play!

The 11U Rattlers rolled to Las Vegas, NV for the USSSA Spring Baseball in the Desert Easter Tournament April 8-10th.  The Rattlers were hoping to keep their hot streak going after going undefeated and winning the TCS San Diego Open April 4th-5th but the competetion was much stiffer with top teams from across the southwest United States going for gold.  With only the top 4 teams advancing to playoffs, every pool play game counted.  The Rattlers opened the tournament against a talented team from Tustin, the Mets.  The Mets are comprised entirely of the 2008 9-10 year old Southern California Little League All-star State Champions, which is the team that Coach Steve's team lost to in a hard fought best of 3 in July of last year.  The Mets jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the good guys fought back scoring 5 unanswered runs over the last two innings to get a nice 5-3 win and redemption for East County!  In the second game, the Rattlers jumped out to a 5-0 lead over the Las Vegas Shamrocks and cruised to another 5-3 win to close out the 1st day of the tournament 2-0 and in the drivers seat for the playoffs. 

On the second day of the tournament, the Rattlers opened against a true Majors tournament team, the Las Vegas Warriors.  The Warriors resume is an impressive one in that the team's core of players is comprised of the 2008 9-10 year old Nevada Little League All-star State Champions and they boast an imposing 25-6 record playing in the USSSA Majors Division.  They were also looking to even the score after the Rattlers won our only previous meeting in the USSSA Strike out hunger tournament 5 months ago, 7-4.  Additionally, the Warriors were 2-1 at this point and needed a win to guarantee a berth to the playoffs.  The Warriors used small-ball to get out to a 4-1 lead but the Rattlers again showed they are a team that won't lie down.  The boys scored 5 unanswered runs to secure a 6-4 win to open the tournament 3-0!  Going into their last pool play game with the LVBA Lightning, the Rattlers were the only team without a loss.  The boys (but more the coaches!) were able to catch their breath after some close games already knowing they had the #1 or #2 seed secured.  However, the LVBA Lightning needed no motivation as they needed to win both of their last two games to make the playoffs.  The Lightning jumped out to an early lead but the Rattlers responded, battling their way back from a 6-0 defecit but fell just short, 12-11.  Nevertheless, the Rattlers secured the #1 seed in the tournament.

In the playoffs, the good guys drew a rematch with the #4 seed, Las Vegas Warriors.  In a classic hard-fought game, the Warriors showed no quit as they fought their way back from a 3-0 defecit in the top of the 6th inning to tie the game 3-3.  The Rattlers won the game in dramatic fashion with a walk-off single that was crushed in the gap to win an incredible game, 4-3!  In the Championship game, the boys again faced a powerhouse in the Santa Clarita Lightning.  The Lightning team is comprised of the players that finished 2nd in the National Pony World Series the previous year.  The Rattlers battled hard but ran out of gas in the end, falling to a classy SC Lightning team 11-6.  Overall, the boys played some great baseball in between seeing Vegas shows, hitting the buffets, the arcade at Excalibur and riding the roller coaster at New York-New York.  Thanks to USSSA Nevada for putting on a great tournament and to all the teams we played for their solid play and good sportsmansthip.  Go Rattlers!!

Kudos to the 11U Rattlers for their 3rd place finish at the PSSG 1st annual Caring for kids tournament.  The Rattlers opened the 6-team tournament with a tough 3-2 loss to the Carlsbad Raptors but bounced back for a hard fought 2-1 win over the Encinitas Reds to close out pool play.  In the quarterfinals strong pitching, timely hitting and solid defense led to a 5-0 win over the Blackjaxx BBC before falling in the semi-finals to the #1 seed, Carlsbad Raptors.  Although we did not make our goal of making the championship game, the boys played hard throughout against some quality opponents.

The Rattlers rolled up to Huntington Beach for the USTBA Veteran's Day showdown Nov 15/16.  Our boys opened the tournament against a scrappy South Bay Dukes team (that ended up being the National/AA Division Champion) and rolled to a 11-1 victory after opening the game with a 5-run first inning.  In the second pool play game, our boys took a tough one on the chin losing in the last inning 8-3 to the 5-star Dirtdogs -- Blue  (eventual Ultimate Division Champion).  By going 1-1, we missed the Ultimate/Majors divsion by a single run in the tiebreaker but settled into the American/AAA Division as the #1 seed for Sunday playoffs, earning a first round bye.   We opened up bracket play in the semi-finals against the Dawg Pound and looked sharp in all phases, cruising to a mercy-ruled 13-3 victory to put us in our 3rd straight Championship game against the Bombers.  In a test of pitching, defense and offensive fortitude, our boys pulled away from a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the 5th for a 4-1 tournament win!!  All the boys got their Mr. T starter kit going with their new Championship rings!  Great job to all and big thanks to all of our classy opponents, especially the Bombers.  Go RATTLERS!!

Our boys rolled into Labor day holiday looking for a challenging weekend of Division 1 baseball at the TCS So Cal State Championships.  With only the top 3 seeds advancing to the playoffs, our boys had their work cut out for them after they opened the tournament by dropping a heartbreaker in their first pool play game, 7-6 to Team Body Glove (T.B.G.).  Our boys settled down for the nightcap to win their second game, 9-6 over the So Cal Diamond Devils.  On Sunday, our boys showed they would not be denied going to the playoffs by winning their next two games over the San Diego Cyclones and the Manhattan Beach Heaters (red) 4-3 and 9-4, respectively.  

In the semi's, our boys got some sweet revenge against a tough T.B.G. team, winning 7-6 to advance to the Championship game.  In the Championship, we came up a bit short against our friendly, heavy-hitting rivals, the San Diego Dawgs.  In a slugfest where there were five lead changes, the Dawgs pounded out 9 runs over 2 innings after being down 9-8 in the bottom of 3rd for a 17-9 victory to win the tournament.  Nevertheless, our boys played with heart and showed their character until the last out.  Whether it was with their defense, batting or pitching, EVERY Rattlers had a "team-first" attitude and each of them contributed to a great tournament run in earning the title of TCS Division 1 So Cal State Championship Finalists!! Great job boys!! GO RATTLERS!!

Our boys re-grouped after a summer break to close out our 2007-2008 10U season in the SD Blues Mid-Summer Showdown.  Overall, the Rattlers went 4-0 in securing their first tournament win of the new season.  The boys outscored their opponents, the Chula Vista Rhinos, Santee Hornets, Encinitas Blues and Eastlake Mashers by a combined score of 65-9 and went UNDEFEATED!!!  Strong pitching and defense led the way as our boys turned FIVE double plays and threw out multiple runners attempting to steal while offensively we out hit our opponents by a a greater than 5-1 margin.  Great job boys and a great way to start the new season! Go Rattlers!!

Hey gang, here is what uniform to wear tournaments, scrimmages and practices....

1st day of tournaments -- White jersey, white pants, black undershirt, black socks and black belt. 
2nd day of tournaments -- Cardinal alternate jersey, cardinal undershirt, belt, socks, gray pants,
3rd day of tournaments -- White jersey, white pants, cardinal undershirt, socks and belt

All Scrimmages --  Cardinal alternate jersey, cardinal undershirt, belt, socks, gray pants,

Any parents intersted in getting an extra T-shirt, contact Andy at 778-8955. $15 per T-shirt.  And as always big thanks to Chad Hoelker and Easton Sporting goods for sponsoring our team with custom Rattlers bat bags from Easton Sporting Goods!

I am proud to announce that the East County Rattlers has partnered with SmartRaise.com.  SmartRaise is a program that allows us to raise money whenever our supporters make everyday purchases online.

 The program is simple:

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3.  Shop at any SmartRaise partner store by following links at SmartRaise.com.

That's it!  We will earn rewards for every dollar you spend using your SmartRaise Account.  With big names like Wal-Mart.com, Target. com, and many, many more on-board, this is an easy way to make a big difference,  Best of all, you pay the same prices you always would have, so helping us fundraise doesn't cost you a dime!

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Please take a moment to visit our site, create an account, and come back everytime you shop online. Thank you for support.  Happy Shopping!

The Rattlers made their first cross-country trip to Omaha, NE for the College World Series and the USSSA Road to Omaha tournament.  Our boys faced some tough competetion drawing the KC Dragons and the Millard Red Raiders in pool play.   The Dragons and Red Raiders had an impressive combined record of 62-24 and were the #1 teams in Kansas and Nebraska in USSSA points rankings.  Our boys came out a bit jet-lagged and lost a close one to the KC Dragons, 11-9 but bounced back for a 6-2 win over the Red Raiders.  In playoffs, it didn't get any easier as we faced another tough opponent, the Collierville Dragons (who are the #1 team in Tennessee in USSSA Power rating and 2008 USSSA AAA World Series Champions) and lost a tough one 5-2, dropping us into the consolation bracket where we drew the KC Dragons again.  Strong defense and pitching led to a 3-2 Rattlers win and set us up for the consolation Championship on Sunday.  Unfortunately, a nasty thunderstorm rained out the Championship games, but our boys beat the #1 team in Kansas and Nebraska, took 2nd place and were finalists in the consolation bracket based on tiebreakers.  An overall great experience for all and some great memories!  Go Rattlers!                

The Rattlers rose to the challenge after being elevated into the 11U bracket in USSSA's 1-day tournament.  Our boys had to adjust to playing on longer basepaths and pitching distance as well as playing bigger, more physically developed teams who had the extra motivation of not wanting to lose to a younger 10U team.  In our first game, our boys lost a close one to the 4S Ranch Eagles (north team), 5-4.  Our boys bounced back for an 8-4 win over the KBA Krush to earn a spot in the 3rd place consolation game.  In that game, we drew the 4S Ranch Eagles again.  In a slugfest that was better suited for a UFC ring rather than a baseball diamond, our boys pounded out a 18-16 win to take 3rd place.  Overall, our boys went 2-1 and battled throughout.  Go Rattlers!!  

In between attending MLB spring training, pool parties and overall just goofing around at the hotel, our boys found some time to play some serious baseball in the TCS Spring Championships.  The Rattlers came out sharp in all phases, winning their two "cactus" games against the Highlands Ranch Bulldogs (CO) and Team X-plosion (NM), by a combined score of 48-2.  The boys continued their hot streak into pool play against the Nevada Wildcats and Colorado Wildcats, winning both games by a combined score of 16-2.  These two wins earned the Rattlers the #3 overall seed in this 22-team tournament and put us right in the mix of the Division 1 playoffs. 

In the single elimination playoffs, our boys battled a perennial travelball powerhouse, the So Cal Smash for the second time in two months.  The game was as well played as last months 4-3 Rattlers victory in the Winter Classic.  Our boys battled the Smash throughout the whole game but fell in extra innings to the eventual tournament finalists, 7-4.  Overall, we took 5th place out 22 teams and went 4-1.  Most importantly, we continue to get better and had a vacation to remember!! Big Thanks to John Enright for setting the team up with former Chicago Cubs assistant trainer Ron Courtne.  Ron helped show our boys how to stretch out and physically prepare for our games.  GO RATTLERS!!

The Rattlers came out over the holidays to win the SD Blues Christmas Break Showdown Dec 29-30.  Overall, we went 4-0 and again, were UNDEFEATED!!  We outscored our opponents by a combined score of 46-17, including a 12-2 win over the Mira Mesa Bruins in the playoffs and a 15-0 win over the San Diego Ballhogs in the Championship game.  The tournament was highlighted by a team-wide hit parade, solid defense (including a triple play) and dominating pitching, including a no-hitter (1 walk away from a perfect game) in the Championship game!  All the boys played great, had a ton of fun and continue to get better.  An overall great weekend!  Go Rattlers!!                    

What a great weekend of baseball!  Our boys rode an 11 game winning streak into the Finals against the Long Beach Dirtclods.  In the Championship game, we fell short to the Long Beach Dirtclods but nevertheless played hard until the last out.  Overall, we went 5-1 with some incredible games.  Our boys opened the tournament with a win over California Elite 10-4 and then followed that up with a 4-3 win over the San Diego Cyclones.  On Sunday, the boys rallied for 12 runs to erase an 8-0 deficit for a win against the Dirtclods to earn the overall #1 seed in this 10-team tournament.  In elimination play on Monday it was just as exciting as our boys rallied in the last inning to come back to win against the Cyclones 5-4 in extra innings.  In the semi-finals, the good guys held off a furious comeback from the Enforcers to win 13-12 to get to the Championship Game.  EVERY player on this team did something to contribute to a great tournament run!  Most importantly, the boys continue to get better and had a ton of fun!!  I know the coaches all got a little grayer!! GO RATTLERS!!!  

Our Rattlers played 3 solid games to take 1st place in the USSSA Rookies tournament.  They outscored their opponents, the Del Mar Powerhouse, Team SOAR and the Santeee Hornets by a combined score of 37-9 and went UNDEFEATED!!!  All the boys played great and had a blast.  A great day of baseball all around!!! GO RATTLERS!!