Black Knights AllStar Baseball Team from Rhodes Jordan Park is in the State Tournament

Hey batter, batter... The Lawrenceville Youth Association major league team, the AllStar Black Knights will play in its first ever State Tournament baseball game on Saturday, July 16, in LaGrange. The Black Knights will take the field at the Mike Daniel Recreation Center for the 12:00 p.m. game against Augusta.  This is the first team from to ever make it into the State Tournament games. Only 16 statewide teams earn their way into this tournament.

“This 12 member team is made up of the best 11 and 12 year-old players from the three district teams, the Lawrenceville Red Soxs, the Lawrenceville Phillies, and the Lawrenceville Black Knights, at Rhodes Jordan Park,” said Bruce Prather, first time Head Coach. “We have only been together for two months. I am so proud of these kids.”

Having only a month to prepare this team against their district rivals, Prather and his assistant coaches, Leroy Jones, David Lindblad, Malik Brown and Bill Griffith, beat out Winder, but lost to Auburn. The defeat in the district division three game series cost them the number one spot, but earned them an invite to the State Tournament, where they could play Auburn again.

“The weeklong tournament is a double elimination series,” said Asst. Coach Brown, “meaning we can lose one game, and still fight our way into the championship game, but if we lose two, we are out. But I don’t see that happening. People, including some parents, actually counted us out in the last series; they didn’t let their child play on this team because they didn’t believe we could make it this far. But look at us now.”

Brown like all of the coaches has a son on the team. Coaches and players alike believe this team has what it takes to win the tournament to go on to the Dixie Youth World Series, to be held in North Carolina. One team out of the 16 competing will go to North Carolina, representing Georgia.  

At the last practice held on Thursday, Brown said this team’s strength is pure fielding. The Black Knights are a defensive team. A lot of teams work on hitting, Brown said the Black Knight work on defense constantly. He attributes the team’s winning ways to limiting bases (hits and runs), keeping errors down and keeping themselves in games.

“All that I ask of this team, win or lose is that they give the attempt and the focus. We’re just going to tie up our shoes and go get it,” said Brown a 13 year veteran corrections officer at Gwinnett County Department of Corrections.

Asst. Coach Jones has cause for double celebration not only is his son on the team, but his son, Elijah is the only player competing in the opening day Home Run Derby.  Jones and all of the coaches volunteer their time and talents.

“I teach the fundamentals of the game, which is basic catching and hitting. If they can’t catch we have got to work on some drills to get them to catch; if they are not hitting we have to find out what it is that is preventing them from getting that swing around to make contact with the ball,” said Jones.  

Jones said he is being stern with his son to not take this opportunity lightly because it might not occur again. This he said, for many, is a once in a lifetime opportunity. He predicts that the team should do very well, due in part to their collective talents and bringing their A-game throughout the series. They are, after all, going up against the best teams in the state.

“I am going to let my play on the field and mount do the talking,” said starting pitcher 11 year-old Neil Raja. He and the rest of his team mates as described by Coach Brown are quiet and reserved, until they take the field.