ROCKINGHAM — Several members of the Rockingham Angels all-star team made the 100-mile round trip trek to Hartsville, South Carolina to see the Ponytails squad capture the Dixie Softball World Series title.
“Our girls wanted to see them play,” Rockingham coach Scott Frye said. “They put on a clinic. Mike (Way) and I were watching them and told our girls, ‘See how they played and how prepared they were.”
They are hoping to duplicate the Ponytails’ success when they open their World Series play today in Monroe, Louisiana. Rockingham will be one of the first teams to hit the diamond when it squares off with the Texas state champions at 12:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time.
At the same time that Rockingham is on the field, Florida will play Louisiana. Virginia will face Georgia and South Carolina battles Tennessee at 4 p.m. The nightcap will feature Alabama taking on the host team, West Monroe, at 6 p.m.
The winner of the Rockingham-Texas contest will face the winner of the South Carolina-Tennessee matchup at 5 p.m. Sunday. The loser of the Rockingham-Texas game will take on the loser of the Florida-Louisiana contest 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Unlike the Ponytails team that breezed to the championship, the Angels’ path to the World Series wasn’t without a few bumps. During district play in Locust, Rockingham rallied in the fifth inning to down Anson for the title. In the state tournament last month in Troy, Rockingham was forced to battle Hope Mills in a deciding game to capture the championship.
“The girls have been doing a lot of practicing. We have been working on getting all of our ducks in a row,” Frye said. “It’s exciting and no matter what the results, it is going to be an experience they will remember.”
The World Series kicked off with a parade for all the teams Friday night. Local officials have organized several activities for the players and coaches, including a trip to the Duck Commander facility. The Duck Commander company is owned by the Robertson family featured in the television show “Duck Dynasty.”
Frye added everyone on the team is excited about that tour, but understands there are still games to be won and a championship to be claimed.
“After seeing the 12s (Ponytails) raise the trophy, it made us more excited to play,” Frye said.
In addition to preparing the team for the World Series, the coaches and players’ parents were raising money for the trip to Louisiana. The team organized a raffle as well as visited area businesses seeking donations.
Frye said the community not only supported his team but the Ponytails as well.
“There were a lot of people that came up to me and wished us luck,” he said. “We are very thankful for all the support.”
Reach managing editor Shawn Stinson at 910-817-2671 and follow him on Twitter @scgolfer.