This past weekend the Wetumpka 8U all-star softball team brought home a state championship at the USA Softball tournament. Coached by Josh Highland, the team has been competing in tournaments all summer and raking in the wins with a record of 25-2.
The girls played six games over the weekend and won all of them, crowning them state champions at the 8U USA Softball state championship. On Thursday, they won their first game 21-0, also winning every game they played on Friday, 18-1, 15-3 and 19-7.
On Saturday, they faced off against Decatur Blue, battling back to win that game 16-6 and putting them into the championship game. They faced that same Decatur Blue team on Sunday to win the championship, 12-4.
“They worked super hard for it,” Highland said. “They got the ultimate goal yesterday, and won them a state championship. It was awesome just to see them come out and play as hard as they did. I was super proud of them.”
Coach Highland especially highlighted Emersyn Brown as a stand-out player throughout the tournaments this summer.
“They all play great,” Highland said. “But there was one in particular, I call the heartbeat of our team. And she’s probably the quietest kid on our team. It’s Emersyn Brown. She came up with big hits when we needed them. Even in the outfield, having big catches, she came up whenever we needed her, every single time, made great plays, had big hits.”
With the win this weekend, the girls are headed off to Albertville next week for the World Series.
“It’s been awesome,” Highland said. “We’re the number one ranked team in the USA organization, in the state of Alabama. It’s just, I mean, I’m so proud of these girls. They’ve played great.”
