Youths excel at national tournament
OMAHA, Neb. —A traveling baseball team comprised of Russellville 12 year olds took on teams from across the country this week in the shadows of one of America’s hallowed baseball grounds.
The Russellville Young Guns traveled to Omaha, Neb., to participate in the Omaha Champions Village Tournament, which is associated with Omaha’s activities with the College Baseball World Series.
The Young Guns reeled off seven straight wins before falling to a team from San Francisco, Calif., in the tournament championship Thursday night.
“Our kids did really well,” coach Chad Broussard said.
“They came up a little short in the championship, but they beat teams from all over the country.”
The young Guns went 5-0 in pool play heading into Thursday’s seeded tournament, where they won two more games to advance to the championship.
The team members were Brock Malone, Braiden Broussard, Chance Broussard, Levi Gist, Noah Gist, Landon Ezzell, Rudy Fernandez, Payton Scott, John David Palmer, Jaret Ward, Colten Madden and Dakota McCreless. The coaches were Chad Broussard, David Palmer and Shea Madden.
“I am very proud of the boys,” Broussard said. “They played well and represented the team and city in a good way. I think playing all these teams from across the country will only help them in the future.”
The Young Guns defeated teams from North Carolina, Utah, Texas, Missouri and Louisiana.
Broussard said he used nine different pitchers in the course of the tournament and the team’s hitting was exceptional throughout.
“We had five different players who hit a home run,” he said, naming Brock Malone, Landon Ezzell, Dakota McCreless, Noah Gist and Colten Madden as those who hit home runs.
The team was lodged on the same campus as the baseball fields, making the trip even more memorable for the players and their families, Broussard said.
“This is the first time we all stayed somewhere as a team and then got up and ate breakfast as a team, played ball and then came back and ate again as a team,” he said.
“We also got to visit the old Rosenblatt Stadium, which used to host the College World Series and went to three games of the College World Series at the new stadium. I think it’s a trip the boys will always remember.”
