The 2009 Little League District I Tournament concluded Thursday night as the all-star teams from Harney and Canyon Lake met in their annual backyard scrap with Harney capturing the title tilt in a 3-0 victory. With that, it's time to look ahead to Midwest Regional in Indianapolis from Aug. 6-15. And, maybe a little bit beyond.
"It's hard not to think about Williamsport with what Canyon Lake did last year in making it to the Little League World Series," said Harney Little League President Jason McGough. "It certainly made a lot of kids in Rapid City want to step up to the plate and practice harder this year."
While Harney manager Raye Bledsoe concurs, he emphasizes that his team must remain focused on the task at hand in Indianapolis.
"Canyon Lake certainly raised the bar," Bledsoe said. "And every team likes to do just a little bit better than the teams that preceded them, and so would we. But first of all we have to take care of Indianapolis."
Bledsoe, a 14-year veteran of Harney League coaching, knows the challenges ahead for his squad having coached on the 2004 Harney Lake team that advanced to the semifinal round in Indianapolis. Among the players on that squad was his eldest son, Donte, now a starting shortstop for Post 22.
Bledsoe's son Dmitri was the winning pitcher in the district championship game.
Dmitri, who tossed a four-hitter and fanned nine in the championship game, has another perhaps even better-known baseball- playing relative. His uncle is Oakland Athletics second baseman, Mark Ellis who is the brother of his mother Angela.
"I don't get to see Mark a lot, he's so busy, but he's a really neat guy and a good baseball player too," Dmitri said.
"This team compares favorably with the 2004 team. That team was probably a little quicker, but this team is a little bigger physically and may have better pitching consistency than some of the other Harney teams that have made it in the past," Bledsoe said. "Our top three pitchers - Cody Carlson, Tucker Berg and Dmitri - have a lot of poise out there."
Carlson and his twin brother, Kyle, also sport a connection to the 2004 team. Their older brother Jordan - also on this year's Post 22 team - played on that team as well. Clearly, they have heard the stories about "glory days" and want to start their own collection of tales.
"My brother went to Indy in 2004," Cody said. "I really wanted to go back really bad, so I played as hard as I could that last game to go. Dmitri was pitching really good and when he struck out the last three batters, that was really exciting."
The excitement of being on a team that has the opportunity to go to the Little League World Series is certainly not lost on P.J. Friedel.
"I was at my coach's house when the team was picked," said Friedel, the only 11-year-old on the team. "At first, I didn't think that I had made the team, but then when I got home my mom said that Raye had called and that I was on the team. I was really glad. It's fun to hang out with your friends and play a game that you like to play."
Though Canyon Lake captured center stage in the local Little League community with last year's historic march to the World Series, Harney has been a
frequent visitor to the Midwest Regional including a four-year run from 2004 through 2007. Included in that run were a couple of semifinal appearances and a near miss in 2007 when the team played in the region championship game.
Bledsoe likes what he sees in this year's Harney team.
"We have outstanding defense and very good pitching," he said. "We just have to hit to our potential. I probably have seven players who can hit the ball out of the ballpark at any time. But we will have to do that at Indianapolis. Hit the ball better, a lot harder, and a lot more often. Fortunately, the potential is definitely there to do just that."
The Harney League All-Stars begin their quest for a trip to Williamsport with a first-round game on Friday at 1:30 p.m. in
Indianapolis.
