- April 19, 2024
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UPDATE: After going 2-0 on Saturday, July 20, Windermere Little League 9-10-11 All-Stars is bringing home the Tournament of State Champions title with a dominant 12-3 victory over Summersville, West Virginia.
Lately it seems as though good things come in pairs for Windermere Little League, as both the Majors and Minors All-Stars continued their streak to glory.
On the field in Port St. Lucie, the Majors captured the state championship as they throttled Elm Street Little League by a score of 15-0.
It was a tough draw for Elm Street, which had exhausted the eligibility of its main pitcher to get to the championship, and WLL took full advantage of that, Head Coach Rex Smith said.
“It was unfortunate that it wasn’t a better game, because a lot of people came down from Orlando to watch the game and we had a ton of support there,” Smith said. “It wasn’t a great game for the spectators, but it was a good outcome for us. So we will take it and move on to Georgia in a couple of weeks.”
Leading up to the game, the Majors kicked off their tournament early on Saturday, July 13, against Naples Little League.
“There were definitely some tense moments in that game, because they made a run,” Smith said.
Despite the run made by NLL, WLL still pulled out the 10-6 win in what would be the only close contest they’d play all tournament.
A 9-0 win over Dade City and a 15-0 win over Elm Street later meant the WLL softball team would find itself once again running around the field in a celebratory jog that has become a tradition of sorts.
“It was a long weekend, but it was awesome,” Smith said. “I’m so happy for the girls — they’ve worked so hard, so it’s great for them to be able to have this. We were on a mission this year to go avenge some losses from last season, so we were able to accomplish that and now we set our eyes on the next goal.”
The Majors next stop will be in the Southeast Region Tournament in Warner Robins, Georgia, which will take place from July 23 to 29.
Windermere will kick off the region at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 25, on ESPN+, which will be showcasing all of the tournament.
Two weeks after claiming the 9-10-11 year old Florida Championship, the WLL Minors team is off to Clarksville, Tennessee, to take part in the Tournament of State Champions this weekend.
Unlike the Majors, the upcoming tournament for the Minors is the last hurrah for the team and the girls are more than ready, Head Coach Jared Czachorowski said.
“I feel really confident … I feel like we have all aspects of the game covered — no real weaknesses that are apparent — so we should be the favorite to come in and take it,” Czachorowski said. “But we’re definitely keeping the whole fun aspect alive too, and not putting a lot of stress on anybody. It’s really a win-win.”
Up to this point, Czachorowski’s team has been absolutely dominant on the diamond, with zero flaws.
Throughout the state tournament in St. Petersburg, the Minors outscored opponents 51-1 through three games and not once did they commit an error.
“It was just outstanding, solid defense — it was basically a coach’s dream,” Czachorowski said. “It’s a lot easier to coach when you have this much talent.”
For the upcoming tournament, Czachorowski — alongside his coaches — and the team have rented a team van to make the 11-hour trek up to northwestern Tennessee.
And while they obviously have plans to go and take the tournament crown, there’s more to this trip than just playing softball. It’s also about enjoying each other’s company.
“They’re creating memories for the rest of their life,” Czachorowski said. “We’ve done a lot of things off the field with ice-cream socials and going over to pool parties at coaches houses — it’s really a bonding experience and it’s really all about them coming together. The fact that we’re getting to go out and stay at a hotel and hang out on a road trip is just the icing on the cake.”
