Locals Earn Spots on District 1 Team

The young men representing District 1 in the Big League World Series have been announced, and several players from the Easley, Pickens and Wren areas are among them.

The players were announced yesterday at the J.B. “Red” Owens Recreation Complex in Easley.

The theme of this year's team is “Take the Title.”

The District 1 team has won the championship four times and appeared in the final last year, District 1 Administrator Tommy Keef said.

“This'll be our thirteenth year,” he said. “We've won four World Series Championships right here with this host team in the last 12 years. It's the some of the finest talent in South Carolina, some of the finest talent in the United States. We're the only host team that's ever won a World Series out of about 77 years of history with Little League.

“Thirteen's my lucky number,” Keef continued. “I've got a feeling that 2013, we'll have another ring at the championship and keep the tradition going.”

The District One Host Team players are

Zach Biggers, 16, Walhalla High School

Taylor Cothran, 17, T.L. Hanna High School

Jake Crawford, 16, Belton Honea Path High School

Matthew Eubanks, 17, Pickens High School

Will Hartsell, 18, Easley High School

Adam Hill, 18, T.L. Hanna High School

Brandon Hood, 17, Easley High School

Robert Kosch, 17, Daniel High School

Brice Maready, 17, Easley High School

Max McDouglad, 18, T.L.Hanna High School

Stephen McKnight, 18, Anderson University

David Medlin, 16, Walhalla High School

Daniel Nations, 18, Newberry College

Will Porter, 17, Easley High School

Javy Taylor, 18, N. Greenville High School

L.T. Tolbert, 16, Wren High School

Casey Woody, 16, Easley High School

Gregg Powell will manage the team and Bobby Youngblood and Todd Freeman will coach.

Powell said players have to play 8 of the 12 qualifying games to earn a spot on the District 1 Team.

“After that's completed, we watch them in high school,” Powell said. “The coaching staff, we sit together the first of June and we select it. It's a tough decision. We pick from 15 high schools. That's a tough decision when we sit down and try to pick 17 out of 68.”

The 15 high schools are from District 1.

“The history is really big with some of these players, Taylor Harbin, Zach Brown, Joey Pankake, Brad Chalk, you just keep naming them on and on and on,” Powell said. “We've got some rich history. The program has been really strong throughout most of the time it's been here. I think the history's here and gives them a kind of a barometer to move up to college. We get them prepared to see what they're going to see when they move on to college baseball.”

The 2013 Big League World Series will be held July 24 – July 31. The championship game will be played 8pm July 31 and will be broadcast live on ESPN.

“We're planning on being there,” Powell said.