FAIRLEA- The Central Greenbrier 11–12-year-old all-star team is gearing up for the state tournament which begins later this week on Friday, July 19 when Central meets Tygart Valley at 4:30 in Chapmanville. The opening ceremonies will take place on the 18th.
Central Greenbrier steamrolled through District 4 on their way to an undefeated championship and outscored their opponents 39-2 in the process.
Coach Cam Huffman believes his team has a real shot to do something special, but also understands that this time of year, kids can sometimes be distracted with other things which is why he and the coaching staff have adapted some different ways to keep the team focused and ready to go.
“I think one thing we’ve all learned as coaches the last few years is to not overdo it, and I think that was key for us last year,” Huffman said.
“These kids have been playing baseball since March. A lot of them played Little League and the Top Prospects league. That’s a lot of baseball, and especially on these hot summer days, it’s easy to get burnt out. So, we’ve tried to do some games and competitions to keep practices fun. We’ve tried to have shorter, more efficient practices. We’ve given them days off. There is work to do and things to improve, but it’s equally important to make sure they’re in the right place mentally and that they’re fresh and excited to play when the tournament arrives,” he explained.
Last year’s team made an impressive run to the Final Four of the tourney but came up one run short of advancing even further. Huffman says the motivation the team has comes from that success a year ago rather than the defeat.
“I don’t know that the loss was as much of a motivation as the run they made. There are four kids on this team that were part of that Final Four run last year, and they talk about it all the time. They talk about the fun they had in the hotel, beating traditional powers like Ona-Milton and Hurricane, the plays that were made on the field, and all the attention they got from the community. They want to experience something like that again. They’ve told the players who weren’t on that team all about it, and those guys want to experience it too. Of course, they do know how close they were to making the finals and even going to Georgia and playing on ESPN, so they’re motivated to try to take that next step. We were one run away from playing for a state championship, and they’re pushing to find a way to win a couple more this time around. As a program, we don’t want last year’s run to be an outlier. We want it to be the foundation for a new standard for Central Greenbrier,” Huffman stated.
Something that makes things a little easier for the coaching staff is knowing the experienced pitching staff can throw game in and game out. However, one of those pitchers, Carter Huffman, is the coach’s son, which can make things just a little more tense from the dugout.
“I don’t think there’s anything more nerve-racking as a sports parent than when your son takes the mound. You’re living and dying with every pitch. I’ve had to work hard to try to keep calm and not show my emotions, because I know it has an impact on him. I’ll just say that’s still a work in progress,” coach Huffman said.
“We are definitely blessed with some really strong, top-end pitching, and it’s comforting knowing that we are always going to have a real chance of beating anyone when one of those two—Michael Boothe and Carter Huffman– is on the mound. We were fortunate the way the bracket was set up in districts, we were able to go the entire way with three pitchers (Peyton Ervin is the other). Having said that, we know that we are going to have to use several more arms to make a run at states, and we feel like we’re prepared to do that. The three pitchers we’ve used to this point have been incredibly impressive, but we’re confident that we have several more than can take the mound and do a great job for us, as well. I’m excited to see them get that opportunity,” Huffman said confidently.
The team has set multiple goals to help them be successful once in Chapmanville and the staff feels like they are working hard toward reaching them.
“It sounds cliché, but our top goal has been the same since our first all-star practice, and it is to get better every practice and every game. We have really hammered home the message that it doesn’t matter who the opponent is, our goal is to play against ourselves and try to play better the next game than we did the previous game. There are so many things you can’t control in baseball, but if you keep competing against yourself and improving on your weaknesses, the results usually take care of themselves,” Huffman stated.
“We’ve come up with sort of a motto that I heard from Angels coach Ron Washington. It’s, “You do, or you don’t. You will or you won’t.” It sounds a little funny, but when you think about it, it’s perfect. It means you give your best effort on every play, or you don’t. You work to improve your weaknesses, or you don’t. You pick up your teammates when they need it, or you don’t. You get a bunt down when you get the sign, or you don’t. You show up to practice when you don’t feel your best or when something else is going on, or you don’t. Those things determine if we will meet our goals, or we won’t. We met the first practice after the districts and identified three or four goals that we wanted to achieve before we leave for Chapmanville to make sure we’re fully prepared to give it our best shot. I think we’re getting there on those items, and I’m excited to see how we perform on the field,” Huffman added.
If somehow, Central Greenbrier were to best last year’s performance and win the whole thing, Huffman knows how great it would be for the community that has had the team’s best interest at heart since the beginning.
“We talk about that almost every day at practice. This community has been so supportive of this team. They’ve shown up at bake sales, car washes, Wendy’s and every fundraiser that we’ve had. They give us their financial support, and they don’t hesitate when we say we need something. Everywhere I go, people are asking about the team and wishing us luck, and I know it’s the same for the players,” Huffman said.
“Last year, the games were streamed live, and we had so many people watching. People even had parties to get together and watch them. The West Virginia Daily News did a tremendous job following the results and bringing them to those who didn’t watch. That means so much to all of us, and we talk all the time about playing for this community. I know they’re going to be proud of us no matter the results, but winning big for them would just be incredible. That’s what I remind them of when they’re hot and tired at a practice. Hopefully, we can do something special for them,” he concluded.
