2010 Delmar Little League Girls 9-10 Softball All-Stars

Kneeling L-R: Nakita Prado, Brynn Binkley, Mollie Upole, Madisen Shoemaker, Jakayla Sample, Kayla Hovatter

Standing L-R: Hailey Naugle, Samantha Lehman, Manager B.J. Hughes, Carlie Elliott, Avery

Wheatley, Coach Glen Covington, Kelsie Hughes, Carly Covington, Coach Keith Naugle, Alleigh Townsend

The Delmar 9-10 Girls Softball All-Stars representing Maryland District 8 traveled to Perryville, Maryland on July 17, 2010 to participate in the Maryland State Tournament. This was the first all-star experience for seven of these girls, while six had played on the 2009 all-star team. During our practices the girls were told to not be surprised if they were asked to play several different positions along their journey; all that we coaches asked was that they try their best. The girls indeed were asked to play several different positions while in Perryville, and they did a fantastic job. Thanks to good pitching (36 strikeouts in four games), key defensive plays, and excellent run production (23 runs scored versus 13 runs allowed), Delmar began the tournament 1-0 but fell short of the state title finishing runner-up to Perryville District 5. Delmar’s two losses both came at the hands of Perryville; a 5-4 loss and a 4-3 loss (Delmar had eliminated Perryville in the 2009 tournament). The Delmar girls played their hearts out and were a true representation of what it means to play as a team. Before leaving for their journey, the girls participated in a team building task of filling a small container with some dirt from our home field in Delmar. Once the bottle was filled, the team read a softball player’s prayer. As in past traditions, the team shouted a couple of chants to boost their morale – but what made it different this year was that the team brought along some “Delmar Dirt” to hold or touch when they were chanting. The Town of Delmar can be proud of these girls and how they handled themselves on and off the field. It was truly a pleasurable experience, and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to work with the assistant coaches and with these girls.

BJ Hughes