Three Miss Tampa Bay Softball (MTBS) FishHawk teams qualified for the state tournament in Lake City at the end of June.
The T-ball, 12U and 16U MTBS All-Star teams won first place in the Florida Babe Ruth District 10 Tournament in Madeira Beach at the beginning of June. The T-ball team also won the Miss Florida Softball tournament. They all qualify to go to Lake City at the state level.
“These girls show up four to five days a week, whether it’s a practice, scrimmage or game; each and every one of them leave it all on the field,” said the head coach of the T-ball team, Amber Jacobs.
The league sent 36 girls and seven coaches to Lake City from June 26-30 to compete at the Southside Sports Complex.
“I’m most proud of the tenacity these girls have,” said 12U Head Coach Kevin Montanez. “There were a couple of occasions where it looked like we were out of the game, whether down five against a good Madeira Beach team at their home field or tied 2-2 with the bases loaded and no out against a very competitive North West team, they maintained that they are the best when they are fighting back.”
Jacobs is looking forward to the tournament and hopes that her team has fun.
“We want to play to win and have fun,” said Jacobs. “If every girl leaves the field with a smile, then we coaches did our job. We look forward to making memories that will last a lifetime, bringing home the big win for MTBS.”
Montanez reflected on the progress the league has accomplished over the years.
“The Miss Florida program has grown so much, and especially here in FishHawk it has become very competitive for girls in all these age groups,” he said. “A lot of the time we are competing with baseball for budgets and field time, so I think it’s great that this program has moved past the ‘us vs. them stage’ and into a more cohesive effort to get these girls the attention they deserve as athletes, whether travel or recreation.”
His team’s goal is to represent Florida in the world series.
“I believe what I look forward to the most is the memories that these girls will have from participating in states,” said Montanez. “Competing together against some of the best teams in the state while making memories as friends. In the heat of competition, we must always remember these are 12-year-old girls.”
Jacobs is looking forward to seeing her players grow in the tournament and the future.
“It’s not just T-ball for this Navy All-Star team,” she said. “These girls are the future of softball. They love the sport and they give it their all, and they will always have fun.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.