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The 11 and under Oregon Junior Eagles baseball team capped off its season by providing their coaching staff with a Father’s Day present. They won the Nations 11U Select State Championship on Father’s Day.
On the road to the title the Junior Eagles notched an 8-0 record for the tournament. The state championship included 71 teams with the main field being Carter Park in Bowling Green.
“Great pitching, clutch hitting and sound defense put the Junior Eagles in the driver’s seat for the entire tournament,” said Coach Paul Lambrecht. “The team is led by an outstanding group of dedicated coaches.”
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Oregon Jr. Eagles, Nations State Champions U11-Robbie Gechter, Adam Bihn, Trace Lambrecht,
Justin Daniel, Antonio DiTerlizzi, JJ Utter, Nolan Ansara, Jake Lingohr, Alec Jaquillard, Nick Walter
and Tommy Eitniear. Coaches Paul Lambrecht, John Utter, Marty Bihn and Tom Daniel. Not
Pictured-Caden Jankowski |
Lambrecht manages the team. John Utter works with the defensive aspect of the Junior Eagles.
“Form, technique and fundamentals are his secret for success,” Lambrecht said. “Marty Bihn is the ace of the staff focusing on pitching. His uncanny knack for detail and mechanics provide a sound building block for the team’s pitchers to learn and compete. Safety and control are the catalysts our pitching staff is built on.
“Tom Daniel rounds off the coaching staff. Tom runs the teams stretching and warm ups. He makes sure we are loose and ready to go. He has helped the team strengthen their upper body and core, this has allowed us to throw, hit and run much better than the previous years,” Lambrecht continued.
The Eagles began the tournament going 3-0 in their pool. They started with an 8-5 win over the Hilliard Colts. The second game was a 15-2 win over The Stow Bulldogs. The final game of pool play ended with a 9-2 victory over Miamisburg Post 165. Their efforts gave them the number four seed when the top 30 advanced.
The Eagles continued their march to the title on Saturday morning. Their first opponent in the single elimination bracket play was the Woodmore Wildcats. The Eagles handled them, winning 8-1.
Their next opponent was the Springfield Heat. The Eagles won this contest 7-4. This victory put them in the final eight. Their next opponent was the Ohio Thunder.
“The Junior Eagles showed up Sunday morning ready to play,” Lambrecht said.
They rolled to a 13-4 victory over the Thunder. They now advanced to the semifinals where they faced HRS Express Navy.
“This contest proved to be a real battle,” said Lambrecht.
The Junior Eagles held out for a 3-2 victory in eight innings. The championship game was between the Junior Eagles and the Aurora Athletics.
“The Junior Eagles battled to an early lead and were able to fend off a late rally by the Athletics,” Lambrecht said, adding that the Junior Eagles won 7-4.
“The Junior Eagles used sound defense, clutch hitting and excellent pitching to win the state tournament,” Lambrecht explained. “They were able to hold opponents to only 24 runs in eight games. They allowed an average of only three runs per game against some of the top teams in the state.”
The Eagles were led by great pitching efforts from Nolan Ansara, Adam Bihn, Jake Lingohr, Trace Lambrecht, Alec Jaquillard, Antonio DiTerlizzi and Justin Daniel.
“Great defesive play came from shortstop Tommy Eitniear, catcher J.J. Utter and outfielder Nick Walter. Topping off the great effort was the key pinch running of Robbie Gechter. One of the key plays of the tournament was Robbie scoring the tying run against the Express, while pinch running,” Lambrecht said.
“One of the strongest variables of the Junior Eagles’ success is that they win with total team efforts. They have no one star. The players all contribute. When one player is off his game the others pick up the slack. This year the Junior Eagles believed in their coaches and more importantly they believed in themselves. Their desire to be number one came true,” the manager continued.
The Junior Eagles finished the season 22-14. Lambrecht says “they have already begun working for next season’s success.”
“The Oregon Junior Eagle family would like to thank all the parents, coaches, players and sponsors who made this championship season possible,” Lambrecht added. “We would also like to congratulate Dave Whitmire and his entire staff and crew at Carter Park on providing such a great experience for the young ball players in Ohio.”
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