The Columbia Reds under-16 baseball team is getting a shot at redemption.
After losing in the title game of the National Amateur Baseball Federation World Series a year ago, the Reds return to Northville, Mich., in hopes of winning the elusive championship.
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After blowing through a regional tournament with a 4-0 record, head coach Sean O?Connor takes the Reds back to the tournament.
“This is the premier league in the country,” said O?Connor, a Perry Hall resident. “No question.”
The 2006 national tournament will include eight regional champions who will start in pool play. After that, the top two teams from each pool will square off in a bracket-style championship.
The Reds? first game is noon Thursday at noon against the hometown Northville Broncos. Other teams in their pool include the Kinect Nationals (Ohio) and Toronto Mets. Last year?s champion, the Summit City Sluggers (Ind.), failed to advance out of their regional tournament this year.
The Reds are comprised of players from Howard County and Washington-area high schools. The team, assembled in early May, is expected to play together in the season opener May 13.
This year?s version of the Reds features three returning players ? Kevin O?Brien (Long Reach), Bryan Wyman (Long Reach) and Casey Mediary (Howard).
Last year, the 15-year-old Wyman tied the national record for tournament batting average, .692. The Junior Division tournament is 44 years old.
“There is a lot of pressure on me this year,” Mediary said. “I know we can win it if we all play together.”
