June 25

This team has a lot of heart. They didn't win the District Championship tonight, but they dug their heels in and played one of the best, most competitive games I've ever seen.

They fell behind early but stayed loud (giving the opposing team a taste of their own medicine), fought hard, and came back to tie it up 9-9. They lost 12-10 in extra innings, but I am so proud of all of them for their dedication and effort.

And naturally, I'm particularly proud of Brady. He went 2 for 2 with 3 walks offensively, and he caught --yes, caught-- all eight innings. He hadn't played catcher in a game for probably five years so I wasn't entirely sure how it would go, but when he popped up like a boss and fired a fastball to second base early in the first inning to try to catch a runner stealing, my worries eased. He didn't nab that runner because the defender unfortunately dropped the ball, but he did go on to throw out three other runners, which prompted the other team to stop trying to steal. (I think that made Brady feel pretty powerful.)

It's been a really fun season, and although it would've been fun to go on to the next tournament, I'm really happy with how they played and conducted themselves over the past few months. The Juniors experience has been a blessing, and I'm thankful for these boys and their parents.

And on to Freshman ball they go!