DP Little League 9-year-olds claim District championship

The boys from Dr. Phillips Little League left no doubt in the Florida District 14 Tournament of Champions last week at South Lake Little League.

The Dr. Phillips 9-Year-Olds All-Star team swept the competition to the tune of a perfect 6-0 record, outscoring opponents by a margin of 92-19.

Manager Derek Ebanks admits to being somewhat surprised at just how well his boys clicked during the weeklong tournament but credits the team’s success to its approach during practice sessions beforehand.

“The secret was the mindset — I think we had a good coaching staff who, from the first practice, talked about setting a tempo and a mindset,” Ebanks said. “(The kids) were able to just go out and play their game.”

In addition putting the ball in play and playing suffocating defense — Dr. Phillips allowed more than three runs just once — the team also was successful in running the bases and putting pressure on opponents.

“We were aggressive on the base paths,” Ebanks said.

In the tournament’s final game, Dr. Phillips registered its only shutout of the event with a 10-0 victory over Ocoee.

The Tournament of Champions is the first tastes of “International” All-Stars play, meaning it is usually the first time the youngsters take on teams from a different league. For the team from Dr. Phillips to have done as well as it did is an encouraging thing for the future, Ebanks said.

“We are very excited and happy for them,” he said. “One of the things we talked about is that for kids who are 9-years-old to receive a banner with their name on it — that banner is always gonna be there. They earned it.”

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].