After five blisteringly July hot days in Mississippi, the Alex City 12U softball team returned home World Series champs. The physical road to get to and from Brandon was long, about 600 miles. But the road to championship glory on the field was arguably even longer.
The 12U girls have had success at every stop along the way to making it to the World Series. They cruised their way through to their own backyard, earning their qualifying spot in World Series competition by winning state at the Charles E. Bailey Sr. Sportplex.
After its state title victory, coach Josh Brewer said his team was not a normal one, and the girls he coached were far different than almost any other collection of rising middle school softball players.
Its run to championship glory showcased this team indeed is definitely not your average team.
“They are battle tested,” Brewer said. “They have been put through tough situations over and over and they never get flustered. Ever. They always find a way to come back and win. They are playing big girl softball.”
While the team did not experience much losing throughout its run, the team did find itself one game away from being put out of the World Series.
After a loss to Satsuma, it was win or go home for the girls.
The Satsuma loss was as much to do with the opponent as it was the errors from the Alex City team.
“Nobody panicked,” Brewer said. “We knew it would be a tall task to overcome, but we knew if anybody could do it, we could.”
Following the defeat, the team rattled off three straight wins before making it to the World Series final.
Their opponent? Satsuma.
In the title fight, Alex City won two straight games to earn their World Series win.
“It was an experience of a lifetime for these girls and these families,” Brewer said. “It is an experience we will never ever forget. This group is like a family. This is the true definition of a family. The parents love each other. The girls love each other.”
