Our very own Wylie Junior League All-Stars earned the opportunity to go to Taylor, Michigan, for the Junior League World Series. Eleven boys and three coaches fought their way through five rounds of tough competition to qualify for the World Series. We interviewed Reed Hughes, Riley Hood, and Walker Piland to hear their thoughts about the once in a lifetime opportunity.

Hughes said, “We learned a lot about ourselves. We celebrate the little moments more now.”

The boys feel that the opportunity they were given allowed them to grow closer to each other. They learned how valuable it is to give it all you have because you only get one shot to prove yourself.

“We had a little trouble sometimes, but once it really mattered, we all came together,” said Piland. “We encouraged each other in several different ways to keep our energy up and our heads in the game.”

The first and only game that the team lost in the State Tournament really made an impact on the team morale. They realized that they had a real shot at making the Junior League World Series. However, if they did not put their minds to it, that dream would not become a reality.

Hood said, “The loss in State really brought us together and motivated us because we knew what we were capable of. That is when we realized that this was really happening.”

After qualifying for the World Series, the boys had the opportunity to meet teams from around the world.

“It was pretty cool to be able to see how people who have never met each other before interacted,” said Hughes.

The team really enjoyed the Venezuelan players. The boys were fascinated by how the language barrier didn’t affect how well the teams interacted. Despite not being fluent in each others’ languages, the boys grew close to many teams from all around the world.

“It was super awesome to see everyone’s differing cultures be brought together by the game of baseball,” said Hood. “It didn’t matter where we were from or what language we spoke-the game was still the same.”