Patterson 10U All-Stars begin pool play at Babe Ruth World Series Saturday

The Patterson Babe Ruth 10U All-Stars can call themselves state champions and Southwest Regional champions.
Beginning Saturday, the squad will start a journey it hopes concludes with them proclaiming themselves as World Series champions.
Patterson will begin pool play at the Babe Ruth World Series Saturday and continue Sunday before beginning bracket play Monday.
It’s the next chapter in a long journey for the softball team that has been playing, first in league play and then, in all-star action about five months combined now.
Patterson head coach Harris DeHart said many of the players have been playing together for a few years now. He said they knew going into all-stars they had a good group and were hoping to win state.
“To go win state and regionals, we’re very excited, and we think we have a very good chance of going to the world series and winning the world series,” he said.
As all-stars, Patterson advanced to the world series after winning the state and Southwest Regional titles. In the two rounds, Patterson was a combined 9-1, outscoring opponents, 81-30.
At the southwest regional in Harrison, Arkansas, Patterson outscored opponents, 31-23.
The squad’s lone loss came to Harrison, Arkansas, 11-1, in five innings at the southwest regional. Patterson rebounded to defeat the squad, 2-1, for the southwest regional title.
“We knew we had a good group,” Patterson assistant coach Jonathan Lightfoot said of when all-stars began. “It was just all about getting out there and playing ball and seeing if they could match (their) level off the field, on the field, and everything else is pretty much history. These girls, they play together.”
Patterson is one of 14 teams attending the World Series. Others include Oviedo, Fern Creek Softball, Litchfield Blast, New Jersey Lasers, Bradford Allstars, PCGSL Allstars, Treasure Coast, Rochester Slammers Red, Audubon All-Stars, North Side, Jeffersontown and Big Bend Lady Bucks.
While Patterson was scheduled to play an exhibition game Thursday against the TCAA Wildcats, that game was rained out. Patterson now will play an exhibition game today at 2 p.m.
Pool play will begin Saturday and continue Sunday. Patterson will play three pool games. Saturday. The squad will face Litchfield Blast at noon, while it will face the Rochester Slammers Red at 4 p.m.
Sunday, the squad will meet Treasure Coast in a 4 p.m. contest. Patterson’s games Saturday will be played at Chips Custom Painting Field 3 at Justin Wilson, while Sunday’s action will be played at Subway Field 1 at Pineapple Park.
Following pool play, teams will be seeded into two brackets. The top eight teams will begin play in the World Series bracket, while the remaining five teams will begin action in the Diamond bracket.
Bracket play will begin Monday and continue through Wednesday when champions of each bracket will be crowned.
Patterson has been helped on this journey by some experienced players who were members of the 10U team’s state runner-up and southwest regional runner-up squad a year ago. Those returning to the 10U team from last year were: Kamille Lightfoot, Bryleigh DeHart, Laila Dugar and Rylie Chaisson, DeHart was the head coach a year ago.
Additionally, some were members of the team’s 8U state-runner team two years ago. Those members were: Kyla Samuels, Dugar, Chaisson, Lightfoot, Charlotte Callais and Bryleigh DeHart. That team was coached by Lightfoot.
“We have a lot of girls that are new to the team that haven’t played at this level, but everyone’s stepped up and everyone’s doing their part and everything’s coming together,” Harris DeHart said.
Members of the current 10U All-Stars are: Layla Richoux, Calais, Samuels, Makayla Theriot, Bryleigh DeHart, Emily Lipari, Hannah Domingue, Chaisson, Madison Gray, Amaya Williams, Dugar and Kamille Lightfoot. The team is led by DeHart and assistant coaches Jeff Lipari, Lightfoot and Scott Domingue.
In preparation for the world series, the team ramped up their pitching machine to its top speed.
“Because the level of competition (they’re) going to see in the world series is going to be as good as what we had to face in the championship of regionals,” Harris DeHart said.
He said the coaching staff did what it could to prepare the team to be successful.
“Ten-year-old girls, you never know what you’re going to get, so we’re hoping that they come out and play hard and do what they got to do,” Harris DeHart said.
Work, particularly fundraising, has had to be done off the field, too.
“We did a lot of hard work, all the parents and the coaches going around talking to people,” Harris DeHart said. “The community came together and helped out a lot. Without the community, we would have never had the funds to go all the way to Jensen Beach, Florida, so we’re very thankful for everything that’s done with the community and everyone who helped organize everything.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Review Sports Editor Geoff Stoute will be tweeting from Jensen Beach, Florida, as well as shooting video that will be posted on his Twitter account and www.stmarynow.com, beginning Monday. Stoute’s Twitter handle is @MCJournalist.