Missouri Longhorns Baseball: Welcome

2011 Season in Review

The Missouri Longhorns Baseball Club would like to thank our players, coaches, parents and sponsors for making it another great year for Longhorns baseball. We had some real success on the field this year (see On Field Performance), but that’s only the beginning. What really matters are the memories our boys created over the summer. Long after they forget who won or lost, they’ll remember what it was like to work hard for a goal and achieve it. They’ll remember the friendships that grew on those out of town trips. They’ll remember pulling together as a team for an amazing comeback win. And they’ll remember what it was like to be a Missouri Longhorns’ ball player.

Here’s a recap from a few of our coaches…  

6U Shorthorns

The 2011 summer baseball season was the inaugural year for the 6U Shorthorns. The team consisted of 12 boys that competed in the Pee Wee I machine pitch league in the St. Peter's Athletic Association. Our first year together was very successful as we finished with an 11-1 record in league play. More importantly, the boys had fun and improved in all facets of the game as the year progressed. We are off to a good start as 7U Shorthorns with a 3-0 record in the SPAA Pee Wee II machine pitch fall league. Next summer we plan to continue league play in the SPAA and add a couple of tournaments to our schedule.  

 9U Longhorns

This was a great learning year for the 8U/9U Longhorns as this was the first year most of them played full baseball rules. The team played at the highest select level in Chesterfield with most of the kids on the team being 8 year olds. The team proudly competed in every game and showed grit and determination like none other. Watching this team from the beginning of the year in March till July was really special. They learned to appreciate the game more as a team, cheered their teammates on more and more, and played the game with all their heart.

10U Longhorns

This was the first year for our 10U team, made up of players exclusively from the Wentzville school district. The boys competed in the 11U age group of New Horizons Youth Sports League, where they earned first place and the title of season champions.   Not only were they playing “up” a year, but they battled through a seemingly never-ending series of injuries. The boys also traveled to Jackson, Tennessee, bringing home the championship trophy in the silver division.  Transitioning to the 11U Black for fall tournaments, they closed out the season with the championship at the GMB 3 Run Dinger tourney at The Woodlands, winning four of five hard-fought defensive battles in a very intense and exciting finish in the championship game.

11U Longhorns

Our 11U boys played in 11 tournaments in 2011, including three out-of-town trips – Lenz Field, Southaven, and Chicago. We put together a solid 36-14 record for the season, including several strong tournament wins: three 1st place finishes, including the USSSA Missouri AAA State Championship, two 2nd place finishes, and a solid 5th place finish in the platinum division of the 30-team AAYBA World Series. The last game of the season sums up our year best – down by five runs with two on and two outs in the bottom of the last inning, six boys came to the plate with the game on the line. And all six of them put the ball in play, scoring six runs for the win to finish the year in true Longhorn fashion!

12U Orange Longhorns

The 12U Orange Longhorns had an action-packed season and compiled a 26-20 record in tournament play. Highlights included a 1st place finish in the local Play It Right tournament and of course our trip to Dreams Park in Cooperstown, NY. In the Around the Horn skills competition at Cooperstown, our boys put their defensive skills on display for the large crowd. We thrilled our parents and fans by taking 1st place in this highly competitive event that included some of the best teams from around the country!

12U Black Longhorns

The Missouri Longhorns 12U Black team had a very successful 2011 season going 53-14-1. We played in 12 tournaments this year and notched seven 1st place finishes, three 2nd place finishes, and an Elite Eight finish at Cooperstown. We played in four out-of-town tournaments in 2011, traveling to Memphis TN, Jacksonville IL, Kansas City MO, and Cooperstown NY. The Cooperstown trip was a special highlight of the season as the team went 8-2 and finished in the Elite Eight of the 104-team tournament. The 12U Black demonstrated a balanced attack with strong performances both in the field and at the plate. The Longhorns batted .378 as a team while holding opponents to a .248 average. The Longhorns swatted 42 homeruns and 647 hits on their way to 567 runs scored against 18, 338, and 266 allowed to their opponents. Longhorn pitchers struck out 388 opposing batters compared to 190 wiffs by 12U Black batters.