FAIRHOPE, Alabama — Hundreds of friends and fans of Fairhope youth baseball gathered at Volanta Park Wednesday night to show their support for the AAA Dixie Youth District 7 and Alabama State champion Fairhope American All-Stars.

The 9-10 year-old players modeled their new jerseys that they will wear for the Dixie Youth AAA World Series in Bartow, Fla. They also displayed the state trophies they earned in sportsmanship as well as in direct competition at the state level.

“This is a tight knit community and this is definitely a big deal,” said team manager Jeremy Morgan. “And I guess it’s the first time a Fairhope team has won a state Dixie Youth tournament and gone on to the world series. It just means a lot to get so much support with the turnout tonight. It just feels great. I love this place.”

Dixie Youth Baseball District 7 director Barb Stassen said it is exciting to have a local team go to the World Series in any division. This is the second-straight year a District 7 team has made the World Series in the AAA division.

“I am excited for the boys and coaches,” she said. “What a great opportunity it is for them to be representing the state of Alabama, District 7, and Baldwin County. These boys have only lost one game since they began sub-district play on June 22 and I think they have what it takes to win the Dixie Youth AAA World Series.”

Morgan and his fellow coaches Kelly Champion and Andy Malone sure hope so.

“We may consult (Fairhope High baseball) coach Stu Fuller for some extra advice on how to approach playing in big games at this level,” Morgan said. “But we also remember that these are 10-year-olds and you can't make too many changes. Especially when what we have been doing has gotten us to this point. So we’re just going to say, (to the players) ‘Hey guys lets keep doing what we’ve been doing. Stay focused on what got us here which is defense and pitching and keep hitting the ball when it’s our pitch and not swinging at bad pitches.’

“Because our hitting really has been good all along. But of course, all the teams down there are the best in their state so we expect to see good pitching and good hitting from everybody we see. We just have to work even harder on our own end and be ready to get serious and stay focused when we get there.”

After winning the state title last week, the next practical step was how to fund a trip for 12 players and three coaches to the World Series in Bartow.

“We really were not sure how much it was going to cost,” Morgan said. “But fortunately Daphne had done it last year, so we asked them and they gave us some ideas. They were at $18,000 after two weeks, so we also have some good sponsors coming on board for us. And then we had a special (Fairhope City) council meeting (Wednesday) morning and they voted to give us $7,500 which will go a long way with food and lodging for us. Sherry Sullivan (Fairhope communication director) with the city has been a big help for us from A to Z especially with lining up things like this (fundraiser) and getting donations for us. And everybody that’s been helping out has allowed Andy (Malone) and Kelly (Champion) and me to coach these kids and concentrate on baseball. That’s been a big help. So I think we’re about half way to what we need and with a few more sponsors we should be alright.”

Sullivan said she was happy to help out and proud that the city and community had stepped up to the plate as well.

“I’m really happy that the city came through, again,” she said. “You know we just got through hosting the state tournament for the O-Zone age group (11-12) and the city came through and it was such a success that we had money left over that allowed us to do this (help this age group) and so we really want to try and start hosting more (Dixie Youth) district and state tournaments and our goal, we hope maybe soon, to host a Peanut (AA, 7-8 year-olds) World Series. So this will be a learning experience for more than just the kids. We hope to get a good first-hand look at a World Series and how to go about hosting one.”

She also said that Fairhope’s athletic settings like Volanta Park and Founders Park make the area a good economic magnet for the entire Eastern Shore and other parts of Baldwin County.

“We have been talking about better ways to bring in more sports-related tourism and combine the two. It’s not only good for the kids and the local league to see that higher level of competition, but it’s obviously such a good thing for the community’s economy, too. The restaurants, the shops, the motels all benefit. It’s a huge economic impact.”

Outgoing Fairhope Youth Baseball commissioner Erik Cortinas who, along with incoming commissioner Kevin Grimes, oversaw much of the preparation and execution of the O-Zone state tournament at Volanta in July agreed the hard work that went into hosting a district tournament and the state O-Zone tournament paid off.

“The Troy coach (Troy won the Alabama O-Zone state title held at Volanta) said he had been in three state tournaments and this was the best one he had ever seen. So we feel good about it but could not have done it without everybody who volunteered and that included a lot of non-O-Zone parents and just community-minded folks.”

Grimes said the future looks bright with a state championship flag flying over the park.

“It’s great right now, but I think it also gives all the kids in the park something to look up to. The state O-Zone tournament here went well and I think impressed our own kids as well as the ones from out of town and their parents and coaches, too. We are hoping for more good things in the future here. The whole effort was good for the community and good for the kids. Anytime they see their parents volunteering their time and working toward a goal like so many did this year, it’s something the kids pick up on and that’s a positive thing.”

Play begins Friday. For more information on donations call Jeremy Morgan 214-7802, Andy Malone 654-1570 or Kelly Champion 379-6350.