Whether its on the baseball or softball field, local All-Star Teams are doing Seminole County proud.
As of Monday night, five teams had won State Championships, a player had earned his way to the T-Mobile Little League Home Run Derby World Championships and another team has already been invited to a World Series.
The Sanford 12U All-Stars started the streak, claiming the first ever youth baseball state championship for a Sanford nine when they won the Babe Ruth State Championship two weeks ago, saw their run end with an 11-3 record this past weekend. The All-Stars dropped their opening game, 4-2, to eventual Champion Okeeheelee but then won three in a row in Pool Play over South Carolina (12-0), North Carolina (6-3) and Virginia (4-2) to advance to the Southeast Regional Semifinals in Fort Myers, but they suffered another tough loss, falling to the host team, the South Fort Myers 12U All-Stars, 6-3, Saturday morning.
An interesting note to the Babe Ruth Baseball 12U Call Ripken World Series is that Seminole County will be represented by Altamonte Springs, which received an automatic invitation to the World Finals in Branson, Missouri, August 6-16, based on their finish in 2024. Altamonte Springs bested Sanford, 8-0, in a scrimmage game last month.
But as it has been lately, the big new keeps coming out the Lake Mary Little League Program.
The defending Little League World Series Champion Lake Mary 10-11-12 Year Old All-Stars improved to 9-0 in the Postseason, repeating as Florida State Champions Sunday morning, posting a 10-0, 5-inning Run Rule victory over the Bayshore All-Stars from the Tampa area.
It was the third consecutive State Championship in this age group for Lake Mary, with only two players returning from last year, which eased its way through the tournament in Eau Gallie, beating Chaires, 19-0, Lake Worth, 9-1, Windermere, 11-1, and Bayshore, 10-0.
The team will be making its third consecutive trip to the Southeast Region Tournament, which will be played July 5-thru-August 5 in Warner Robins, Georgia.
The Lake Mary Little League Junior All-Stars, for ages 12-to-14 and made up of most of last year’s World Championship team, started off the Postseason with a 9-0 record, winning District, Section and State titles, and earning a trip to the Southeast Regional Tournament in Bridgewater, Virginia.
The team got off to a tough start, dropping a 9-6 decision to the host Broadway Community Little League in their first game. The contest was tied at 6-6 after the regulation seven innings and it went to the ninth inning before the hosts scored three runs with the help of an error.
But the LMLL Juniors have bounced back nicely, whipping Tennessee, 14-1, and West Virginia, 8-2, to keep its hopes alive.
Those hopes ended on Tuesday as they were eliminated by Virginia, 4-2, on Tuesday. The Juniors left the bases loaded twice without scoring early in the game and had the tying runners on base in the seventh inning with less than two outs, but could not get the big hit.
Two softball teams also romped to undefeated State Championships and have advanced to Regional Tournaments.
The 10-11-12 All-Stars are in Warner Robins for the Southeast Regional and tasted defeat for the first time, dropping a heart-breaking 1-0 decision to Tennessee, but bounced back with a 2-0 victory over Georgia Tuesday morning and will face South Carolina at 11 a.m. today (Wednesday).
The 9-10-11 All-Stars are 8-0 and have barely been challenged as they now wait until this weekend to represent Florida in a Tournament in Tennessee, July 25-27.
One member of the Lake Mary Little League Majors baseball team knows he will be returning to South Williamsport, New York, next month. DJ Misses, who is one of two returning players from last year, clinched a berth in the World Finals during the East Region Finals in Kansas City. Mieses will be looking to defend the World Title won by Lake Mary’s Landon Bono last year.
Addison Bono, who made the World Finals last year, had qualified for the East Regionals, but turned down the opportunity to play in the State Tournament with her 10-11-12 All-Star Team.
Several other local baseball and softball teams are still playing, check the websites for information.
