Although the Columbia Duckworth 10u all-star squad had a rough showing as the home team for the AAA sub-district tournament last weekend, there is extreme context to consider.
In the 10u age group Duckworth only has 17 kids to choose a 12-player all-star team from. Ultimately that leads to a severe disadvantage as other parks like Dean Griner have roughly 100 players to choose an all-star team from.
Duckworth 10u struggled to keep pace with the Columbia 10u squad in a 16-0 defeat, as well as against the Columbia 9u team by a similarly wide margin Saturday afternoon.
“What they really learned was you just have to keep working to get better. In terms of numbers, we don’t have the type of numbers some of these bigger programs, but you still have to compete,” coach Larry Jenkins said. “We just want our kids to be involved, work and give their best. That’s all we expect.”
Duckworth will be heading to Dean Griner this weekend for the district tournament and will play Pearl River Central at 6 p.m. Opponents for Saturday will be determined on Friday’s results, and the tournament will extend into Sunday.
“The main thing is we want them involved in competition and understanding they need to work hard to get better to compete, as well as be good sportsmen,” Jenkins said.
Meanwhile, Duckworth 12u is the lone team in the majors division in its district and will be heading straight to the state tournament.
Pictured Above: Duckworth 10u all-star Brandon Thompson fires a fastball for a strike against Columbia 9u Saturday afternoon during sub-district play at Duckworth Park in Columbia. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
