ETX Trouble 2k13 wins World Series

Playing travel ball can be interesting, fun and very rewarding.

On June 6, the ETX Trouble 2k13 8U Travel Team, based in Texarkana, won a World Series championship in the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) fastpitch league.

All of the games were played in Oklahoma.

Winning a championship is no easy task but the ETX team made it look easy as they gave the other teams plenty of trouble on their way to a title.

In fact, ETX Trouble went 6-0 in a span of three days.

On June 4, ETX Trouble had no problems getting by American Freedom 2k14 CTX as they won 12-4, and followed that up with an 11-1 thumping of the Lady Bandits 2k13 on June 5.

Playing three games in one day can be tiring for all involved, but the ETX Trouble squad laced up and went to work.

In the first game the champs beat the Lone Star Drillers 2013-Fowler 10-2, and then topped the Swing Queens 13-3.

That set up a showdown with one of the nation’s top teams in its division.

The Demarini Aces NWA 2013 out of Muskogee, Okla., came in ranked first in the state of Oklahoma and third nationally in its division.

In its last 25 games the team was 22-3 and had a record of 44-6-1.

ETX Trouble had won eight of its last nine games, had a record of 41-16 and was ranked second in the state of Texas and ninth nationally in its division.

The game was a classic slugfest as the two teams went back-and-forth, but when the dust settled ETX Trouble had a World Series title to add to its seasonal accolades.

A 15-13 win over a national powerhouse was a perfect way to end the tournament.

ETX Trouble’s coaching staff consisted of: Head Coach Chris Briggs, Assistant Coaches Shaq Milton, Snooby Cook and Roy Jetton and Chris Thompson.

The players were: No. 1 Rylee Briggs, No. 2 Ivy Milton, No. 4 Jazlynn Jetton, No. 8 Tess Scoggins, No. 9 Carlee Rennison, No. 10 Breelyn Hall, No. 20 Kinsley Pack, No. 22 Moo Bradford, No. 23 Kamryn Otwell and No. 24 Brielle Shurtleff.

Two of the players on the roster are from Atlanta, two are from Louisiana and the rest reside in Texarkana.

The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) was founded as the United States Slow-pitch Softball Association in the spring 1968. For more than 50 years USSSA has grown from a couple of thousand slow-pitch softball players to more than 3.5 million participants playing 13 primary sports.

Currently, USSSA nationally governs 13 amateur sports. Slow-pitch softball, baseball, fast-pitch softball, and basketball athletes make up approximately 90 percent of USSSA’s membership. The remaining nine sports account for more than 350,000 registrations in USSSA.