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semo.net Surfers faced the back-to-back season undefeated PB Landscaping team in the Pony League Championship game on Tuesday night as the underdog in everyone’s mind…except of course the Surfers’.

This is the fourth time in two years that coaches Brian Becker and Mike Coleman have faced off. The first three games each ended in a Surfer loss by a single run. This time Surfers’ coaches, Brian Becker and Bryan Cooper, knew that the key to winning the game was convincing the team to swing the bat while facing the fierce pitchers of PB Landscaping.

An uphill battle to be sure, the Surfers knew they would once again be facing star pitcher, Tristen Francisco. Francisco is one of the best (and fastest) pitchers in the state in this age group and his 70+ MPH fastball sets up any batter for his inside-to-outside heart-stopping curve ball. The bats of the Surfers proved the coaching strategy right as they powered over their opponents to run rule the PB Landscapers 15-4 and end the game early in the sixth inning.

Prior to the game more than half the team spent an hour in the batting cage at Bluff Falls facing 75 mph fastballs. Benji Becker and Dalton Cooper chuckled after the game, “after the cage, Tristen’s fastball looked like batting practice.” The 1-2-3 combo of Hunter Parks, Dalton and Benji at the plate to start the lineup proved too much over the length of the game. But it wasn’t just those three…up and down the lineup the team rocked all three pitchers of the PB Landscaping team for a total of 15 runs.

TEAM ROSTER: (front) Nick Pigman, Ty Flanigan, Benji Becker, Dalton Cooper, Hunter Parks, Wesley Welchel, Zack Knowles, (back) Brantly James, Johnathan Snow, Coach Bryan Cooper, Coach Brian Becker, Caleb Morrow

However, batting is not enough in baseball…you also need pitching and fielding in this sport. The Surfers came up strong in both areas. Their #1 pitcher, Dalton Cooper went the distance pitching the entire six inning game and keeping the opponents to only 4 runs. Strategically, Cooper worked his fastball outside and inside the first four innings with an occasional curve ball thrown in. But in the fifth inning with the lineup reset, PB Landscaping saw a pitch they’d never seen before. “There was just no way for them to predict what to do with the pitch.” said Brian Becker, coach of the Surfers along with Bryan Cooper. “Dalton’s off-speed pitch either hit in front of the plate and rolled in…right after the batter had swung. And then the next time he’d use it, the batter would think it was high and inside right before it dropped across the strike zone and you’d hear ‘STRIKE’ echo from behind the plate.” The pitch was used throughout the fifth and sixth innings and kept the batters at bay.

And then there is fielding…the Surfer’s played without a single error on the night. It started with a blooper to shortstop, Wesley Welchel, as he dove to catch it the ball bounced. But Welchel, on the ground from the play rolled to a seated position and threw a strike to Nick Pigmon at first base for the first out of the game. Within that same inning, a shot to right field which should have yielded a double was short-hopped by a charging Johnathan Snow and a perfect throw as the batter just barely rounded first base. “That first inning…when we were in the field…that’s when we knew this was our night” Becker said. Benji Becker made five stops for outs and throws from the outfield and from the catcher to third baseman, Ty Flanigan, successfully yeilded outs. And a deeply hit ball down the left field line ended one batter’s dream as it landed in the glove of Zach Knowles.

These players played an amazing game and were rewarded with a first place trophy for their efforts.

A Bit of Semo.net Surfer History

For each of the past five seasons, the SEMO.net surfers have played in the Championship game of the league. The first three of those years were coached by Mike Coleman and Brian Becker and the past two by Brian Becker and Bryan Cooper.

Each year, the Park Department gives out a league 1st and 2nd place trophy and a tournament 1st and 2nd place trophy. A team can win no more than two trophies in a given year, and over the past five years the SEMO.net Surfers have collected 9.

In Park League baseball, the coaches only get to select three players and the league assigns 9 or 10 players randomly to each team. To put together this kind of consist string of teams takes strong player-leaders, good coaching and parent involvement.

TROPHIES BY THIS TEAM
2007 – Coaches Mike Coleman & Brian Becker Player picks: Benji Becker, Kirby Coleman, Isaac Laseter

2nd Place Civic League Season
2nd Place Civic League Tournament

2008 – Coaches Mike Coleman & Brian Becker
Player picks: Benji Becker, Kirby Coleman, Isaac Laseter

UNDEFEATED SEASON 14-0
1st Place Civic League Season
1st Place Civic League Tournament

2009 – Coaches Mike Coleman & Brian Becker
Player picks: Benji Becker, Kirby Coleman, Isaac Laseter

2nd Place Little League Season
2nd Place Little League Tournament

2010 – Coaches Brian Becker & Bryan Cooper
Player picks: Benji Becker, Dalton Cooper, Isaac Laseter

2nd Place Little League Season
2nd Place Little League Tournament

2011 – Coaches Brian Becker & Bryan Cooper
Player picks: Benji Becker, Dalton Cooper, Hunter Parks

1st Place Pony League Tournament

Congratulations SEMO.net Surfers for five years of SOLID BASEBALL!