The Keyser Junior League All Star Girls punched their ticket to Florida and the Southern Regional Tournament with a resounding 12-1 win over Kanawha Central Wednesday night, becoming the first State Little League Champion to hail from Keyser.
Brooke Mangold jumped into the driver’s seat and fired up the south-bound team bus as the leadoff hitter in the top of the first inning, nailing a home run over the 245-foot fence and setting the tone for a game that would see the Keyser bats crush the competition.
“The turning point in the game was our first batter,” said manager Brian Hoban. “Brooke just set the tone and knocked the wind out of their sails. When she did that we knew right there, the game was ours.”
The team’s bats were alive throughout the state tournament, with the Keyser girls scoring in the double digits in each of their five games. Hoban said some locals in Princeton — who were placing friendly wagers on the game — told him after the tournament that Keyser was pegged as the favorite to win by the third inning of their first game. More than just their bats, though, the team also put on a clinic in the field.
“The Little League officials down there told me they’ve never seen a team so well rounded,” Hoban said.
Also aiding the effort were local fans who drove the five-plus hours to Princeton to cheer on the girls. “We had tremendous support,” the manager said.
Right after the game, Hoban and his family, including daughter Samantha, a member of the team, headed to Myrtle Beach, S.C. to catch the last couple days of what had been planned as a week-long vacation. The whole family happily traded surf and sun for the green grass and dirt infields of Princeton.
“You can’t trade this moment for anything,” Hoban said by phone. “You can always go to the beach.”
The win over Kanawha Central produced the first state championship for a Keyser Little League team.
“I don’t think anyone can ever recall that Keyser has had a state championship,” said Jeff Hoban, information officer for the Keyser Little League. “It’s a big deal.”
Fresh from five straight wins at the state tournament in Princeton, the Keyser Girls will leave next week for the Junior League Southern Regional Tournament at Fort Myers, Fla., where they are slated to play at least three games, August 2-August 4. If they’re successful at the regional level, the girls will move on to play for the Junior League Softball World Series title in Kirkland, Wash.
The Little League’s Junior League softball division is comprised of girls ages 13 and 14. Led by Hoban and coach Kevin Haggerty, the Keyser Junior League All Star Girls team includes Emily Keller, Meghan Anderson, Katelyn Ray, Whitley Curran, Ali Whiteman, Liz Kinsall, Brooke Mangold, Taylor Haggerty, Marlee Whitlock, Samantha Hoban and Karly Harrison.
The team began its journey to Florida by winning the District-level championship at Petersburg July 8. During the state tournament in Princeton, which began July 18, the girls notched consecutive wins against Beckley, 15-7; Shady Springs, 10-2; Kanawha Central, 15-6 and Ona, 10-4. They claimed the state crown Wednesday night with their second victory over Kanawha Central.
At the regional tournament in Fort Myers, the Keyser Girls are scheduled to play the Florida state champs on Aug. 2 at 12:30 p.m. On Sunday, Aug. 3, the team is slated to play the Tennessee champs at 10 a.m. On Monday, they will take the field against the Georgia state champions.
The tournament’s semi-final games will be held Aug. 5, followed by the Southern Regional Championship Game on Aug. 6. The winner of that game goes to Washington State for the World Series Championship, which will feature teams from four other U.S. regional conferences, as well as championship teams from Canada, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Europe.
For more information on the tournament, visit www.littleleague.org/series/2008divisions/jlsb.
From the Princeton softball diamond that the Keyser girls claimed as their own, the campaign for the World Series crown now shifts to the community itself, and the residents and businesses that must support the girls to fund their trip to Florida.
With the girls staying in Princeton for the duration of the just-concluded state tournament, the Keyser Little League spent about $6,000 to fund transportation, lodging and meal expenses for the team. The Florida trip will cost at least $10,000.
“We’ve spent quite a bit of money, so we definitely need some support,” Jeff Hoban said.
In addition to raising funds for the trip, Little League officials are organizing a parade for the girls. Tentatively scheduled to begin Sunday at 2 p.m., the parade will feature fire engines that will escort the team from the Keyser Wal-Mart and north to town.
Hoban said the entire greater Keyser community can celebrate the girls’ victory. “Even if you’re not a Junior League parent or Little League fan, this is a real positive thing, something we can all be proud of, because it doesn’t happen that often,” he said. “The girls had an outside chance to get this far, and now they’re going to Florida.”
Little League officials are still developing plans for fundraising events over the next several days. A Little League board meeting is to be held today to discuss funding issues. More information will be provided in the News-Tribune as it becomes available. Hoban said the girls could leave for Florida as early as Wednesday.
Businesses or individuals who wish to make a donation to help finance the team’s trip can contact Jeff Hoban at (304) 788-2523, Little League Treasurer Sheila Dyche at (301) 707-0176 or Little League President Cristy Jamison at (304) 813-5588.
Information on the team is also available at www.keyserlittleleague.com.