By: Sasha Bush
The Greater Ashland Beacon
Boyd County’s Cal Ripken 10U Softball All-Stars team is the real deal. Beauty, grace, and an arsenal of skills on the field ensured this team’s clear-cut path to victory and bringing home the 2023 10U Regional Championship of the Ohio Valley. It takes grit and determination to be able to hold that coveted championship banner up high and this team had a plethora of both.
The competition was fierce this year. Teams from all across the region came out in hopes of claiming the Regional Championship Title. But only one would earn that right. This year’s competition included teams from Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Thanks to the rigorous and skillful coaching of their beloved coach, Lance Seasor this 10U All-Stars team had what it took to go the distance and they came out swinging for the fences. For this group of girls winning is just something that just comes naturally. In 2021 eleven of this team’s current players made up Cal Ripken’s 8U Softball All-Stars team and together they brought home the 8U Cal Ripken State Championship Title.
“I have had the privilege of coaching several of these girls since their first year of play and it has been a wonderful experience. To be able to watch them grow and mature into thi
s dominant force
has been nothing short of amazing.” Coach Seasor declared on his Facebook page. These little ballers have been cultivating their skills day in and day out over the past few years and have morphed into a force to be reckoned with. Coach Seasor shared, “From pitching to defense to offense… there was not part of their game play that was lacking this past weekend.” Putting their combined talents on full display during all aspects of the Ohio Valley Regional Softball Tournament, this team has created quite a legacy for themselves.
Outscoring their opponents 60-1 is certainly something that catches one’s attention. This Boyd County Cal Ripken 10U team not only dominated the Ohio Valley Regional Championship, but one might go as far as saying that they wiped the floor with them. Triumphing over any opposition these girls faced they not only dominated their competition… they blew them away!
The Ohio Valley Regional Softball Tournament consisted of eleven teams that were composed of players of the highest caliber. But talented as they were… they were no match for the outright annihilation that Boyd County brought to the field. Going up against five teams within their division this powerhouse team took them all out without even breaking a sweat. Overwhelmed by Boyd County’s impeccable game play, Fern Creek fell victim to defeat 4-0. Prairie Village, a highly capable team from Louisville Kentucky also suffered a catastrophic defeat against Boyd County’s 10U All-Stars 23-0. The odds were not in favor for Lawrence County or Eastside (a team from South Bend Indiana) as both these teams were doomed to suffer the same fate and ultimately lost to the Boyd County Cal Ripken 10U team 7-0. Scoring the sole run across all five games, Johnson County’s dreams of claiming the 10U Regional Championship title was quickly squashed and they found themselves at a 19-1 loss against Boyd County’s unstoppable team.
WOW! Let’s stop to think about this for a minute and truly appreciate the caliber of talent it takes to beat five teams and only allowing one run. If that isn’t total domination, I don’t know what is.! As we all know there is no “I” in team… it takes each and every player executing their part at precisely the right time to pull off a victory like this. So how did they do it? Growing up on and off the fields together, this group of girls have forged a special bond that takes them far beyond just “teammates.” This group of girls is more like a sisterhood and this sisterhood of ballers had secret weapons that helped to lead them to victory.
Kendall Dailey, Mikinli Corey, and Brooklyn Tolliver one could say was this Boyd County’ 10 All-Star team’s secret weapon. A pitching trifecta if you will. Together this talented trio accumulated a total of 40 strikeouts across 16 and 2/3 innings ensuring that their team would claim the crown. Not only was their pitching on point but Boyd County’s 10U team didn’t commit a single error across all five games.
Scoring a total of ten runs each, Riley Maynard and Tylar Seasor also played a huge role in their team’s regional title journey. Audrey Horn and Daily shared the team lead for batting with a batting average of .857. For such a young group of players these girls have already created quite the legacy for themselves. Winning the 2021 8U State Championship and now the 2023 Ohio Valley Regional Championship has put this band of ballers on the map and has made people take notice. Will they be back next year to claim a 12U title? Well… It wouldn’t surprise me. Y’all better grab your shades because the blinding talent of these girls is about to go supernova!
