It’s turning into the perfect summer for Rustburg youth baseball players.
A town with approximately 1,400 people is sending not only its 8 to 10-year-old All-Star team to the Dixie Youth Baseball League World Series in Mississippi, but also Rustburg’s Ozone team, which is comprised of 11 and 12-year-olds, all of them looking to come back with a little bit more hardware.
For some, it’s no surprise.
“For a couple years, we almost made it, and this year we had some great kids, some great ballplayers on this team, and I felt really good about it, that we were going to do something incredible,” said Micah Rogers, a player for Rustburg’s Ozone.
For the managers of each team, it’s a pleasant surprise to see some of these kids really level up their play.
“To do things that we didn’t really expect them to do in big moments and really rise to the occasion, that’s been probably the most enjoyment I’ve had as a coach with all these kids,” said Ozone manager Travis Holt.
For the community of Rustburg, the teams success is a reason to rally, with both teams making their mark on the youth baseball scene, both in dominating fashion.
Dominance doesn’t happen overnight, and while hours of hard work certainly help, the DNA of each team has brought them to greatness.
“It’s a lot of emphasis on travel ball and ”drip" and all these different things, but our kids are salt-of-the-earth kids. They’re grinders, and at the end of the day, when they’ve been challenged, they’ve just come out and been, you know, 12 kids that love to play baseball and like to play with their buddies,” shared Jarad Hagner, manager of the Rustburg All Stars.
The community has taken note, rallying around both teams in some of their biggest moments.
“I was really grateful that people came to watch us play and it was really fun,” added one player.
“To say it means the world is cliché, but I mean, for those kids to feel that support and feel that moment, you know, to see them light up when they come off the field after a great inning, that has really just been awesome to see,” added Holt.
The Dixie Youth World Series kicks off in Laurel, Mississippi, in late July. Rustburg is actively looking for funding, and multiple opportunities to help can be found here.