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Last Updated: March 21, 2008
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As they say, all great things must come to an end, and so has the magical Lions' season. The Lions, a real "patchwork quilt" collection of players from the four corners of the county accomplished and surpassed every goal set for them this season. A group of players who when the season started knew very few of their new team mates faces, ended the season as a family.
Intense practices in August brought sweat to the brow of the young men, but their promise was apparent from the beginning. For most, they were learning a completely new system and some were hesitant to buy into it, but after the first day of the season, all of that was gone as the Lions overmatched their opponent in a double header. Success has a way of doing that.
The Lions began the league season in dramatic fashion in Brunswick dismantling the Railroaders, sending a message to the league that they were a force to be reckonned with. The second game of the season was even more lopsided as the Lions did what they wanted with their hapless prey, turning around and switch hitting after the first inning. After that, the Lions met their first challenge...
With youth sports, adults have a way of using politics as a means to try to accomplish their small minded goals. That was in evidence to the fullest extent as Gwen and Andy Jordan of Thurmont Babe Ruth wrapped their wicked tentacles around the Frederick Babe Ruth league in a feeble effort to strongarm players from the Thurmont area to play for their pathetic organization - all the while using politics and deniability as a mask for their evil intentions. To make things more complicated, they had the full support of Babe Ruth State Director Harry Hammond who has singlehandedly virtually diamantled the Babe Ruth program in the state of Maryland over the years with his partisan politics.
The Lions family met and quickly decided that we'd begun the season as a team and we'd continue on as a team - even if it meant having to go it alone - and they did. The monumentally selfish Jordan family never ended up being able to handcuff enough players to play in their pitiful organization, but finished content that they had literally deprived FOUR full teams of players throughout the county of a place to play fall baseball.
The Lions played a number of pick up games against a variety of opponents including Sykesville, and friendly rival Thurmont Cougars. They even made a very impressive showing against next year's Frederick American Legion 16U team 5-3 as they mounted a rally called short by darkness.
One of the most impressive qualities about the Lions is that they're an absolutely fearless group of players. They set out in the season with a "we'll play anyone, anywhere, anytime" mentality - and they stuck to it. In late September, the Lions traveled to Harrisburg, Pa. where they participated in a travel tournament featuring teams from all over the region. One hitch, the Lions were put into a higher age bracket where they faced teams with 15-17 yr old players. The catch is that the Lions are made up of 13-15s! Worry? Heck NO! The Lions came out going toe to toe against the Tri County Cougars on a dramatic pitching effort by ace lefty Ray Riggles holding them to an impressive 4-1 score. Later in the season, the Cougars won their 16U age bracket in the Sports at the Beach tournament in Delaware.
Later that day, the Lions made another impressive showing against host Central Pennsylvania Capitals 16U Red in what amounted to a nail biter up until the very end where the Lions showed a very gritty detemination to compete. The following day, the Lions met up with the Central Pennsylvania Capitals 17U Blue team. Will Bell debuted his new submarine pitching style which baffled the Caps batters for most of the game. But the big boys were just too much for the Lions, as they earned a 10-run decision. The final game of the tournament found the Lions meeting once again with the Caps' 17U Blue team! Anyone with a shred of common sense would have expected that the Lions would have cowered in fear, folded the tent, and quit... right? WRONG! The Lions' competitive fire had a bucket of gasoline thrown on it and they jumped out on the Caps in the first inning plating 6 runs and putting the Caps on the retreat for the rest of the contest. When the dust settled, the Lions were left standing with a 13-12 victory! David had defeated Goliath, and quickly became the talk of the tournament.
The following weekend was the Lions' shining moment. The boys traveled to Georgetown Delaware to compete in the Sports at the Beach - Beach Brawl tournament at their beautiful complex in Georgetown, Delaware. The tournament was made possible by Carol Riggles who had secured a generous donation of sponsorship money from her employer Ausherman Homes. The boys all stayed together at the same hotel and it gave them a chance to really bond and enjoy each other's fellowship. The Lions began the first day in a heavy downpour that found them edging the Potomac Generals, a travel team out of northern Virginia, 2-1 in a picture perfect battle. Justin Denton threw an absolute gem on the hill blowing the ball past the General's batters. Later in the afternoon, still under considerable rainy conditions, the Lions shocked the Rangers from the All Star Baseball Academy in Downingtown, Pa., a travel organization from the Philly area who had played over 90 games thus far in the season. The Lions were a double-play turning machine showcasing their amazing defense which continued to take the wind out of the sails of the very cocky Pennsylvania team. Aggressive baserunning, and fundamental hitting carried the day for the Lions as they mounted an impressive offensive attack which was just too much for the Rangers to handle. As the day ended, the muddy Lions emerged with a hard-fought 8-6 victory. Danny Miller turned in a gem on the hill for the Lions as Adam Shapelow closed both games for the boys in blue.
Saturday night was time to PAR-TAY! The entire group of players and parents went to a local sports restaurant where all of the players and all of the parents were able to sit together and really get to know each other. The food was great, but the company was even better. Carol even led us back to the hotel after dinner! (inside joke here) Back at the hotel, the boys changed into their comfy clothes and sat down to a hot hand of poker which lasted into the night. Apparently the Lions figure that after they're done playing World Series baseball on ESPN, then they can showcase their abilities on the World Series of Poker - also on ESPN. Much to Coach Ringer's surprise, as he headed off to bed, he found a separate faction of the team had settled into his hotel room to play Play Station!
The next morning dawned with overcast, chilly weather - just right for the red-hot Lions! In one of the most bizarre games, the Lions overcame some first-class Bush league play and defeated the Delaware Storm 4-1. Zach Little posted an absolutely stellar performance on the mound shutting down the Storm attack while also picking off TWO straight runners from first base!
For lunch between games, the Lions decided to ditch the ballpark food in favor of buffalo wings from where else... HOOTERS! With Coach Shapelow leading, the caravan left the ballpark and headed east to Rehoboth Beach where the Lions descended on the restaurant like locusts. After clearing out their supply of wings and french fries, the gang headed back to the complex with full stomachs and sore eyes! Adam Shapelow took the hill for the Lions against the Delaware Dragons in commanding fashion retiring the side using a minimum of pitches through the first three innings. Apparently the Lions still had visions of Hooter-Girls dancing in their heads as they made error after error behind Adam. Coach Ringer gathered the Lions together on the sideline, brought them back to Earth, and finally the Lions buckled down for the rest of the game and came back on a tear turning the tables on the Dragons and putting the game away to earn a tournament sweep!
After the boys came home, they had a match up with MMTA power Sykesville Cyclones who are a perennial favoriate in the MMTA league. The Lions were unphased by all of that as they dispatched their adversaries easily 9-3 sending them out to enjoy the Thurmont Color Fest early.
The Lions wrapped up what would be the end of their season with a match up with their friendly rivals the Thurmont Cougars. The Cougars employed a very Lion-like strategy of throwing soft tossers against great fastball hitting teams as they challenged the Lions to stay back on their pitcher. The Lions struggled with that all night as their aggression got the best of them. The Lions prevailed in the end 2-0 in a game shortened by darkness.
Sadness takes over now as the Lions will scatter back to their own four corners of the baseball world once again. But we'll all have fond memories of our experiences and successes together to carry us forward in the future.
I just want to thank everyone for their support and the kindness that they've shown us this season and let them know how much I appreciate everything they've done. I also hope that the players will hold on to the things we've tried to teach them and that they help to make them better players in the future. Thank you all for an absolutely wonderful season!
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2004 Lions Enjoy High School Success
Our primary goal when we set out to form this team last fall was to prepare all of our players for high school baseball. We had a collection of players from all sorts of backgrounds and experience levels. It was a real patchwork quilt to say the least. In several short months, these players embraced what we taught, worked hard, and grew from the experience. In the process, we upset a lot of teams along the way and we enjoyed a lot of success together. But the big thing is that each of our players got better and took a giant leap forward in their development as players.
But everything came back to our main goal - preparing our players for high school ball. I'm proud to say that we succeeded in grand style! Every single one of our high school aged players on the team either made a varsity or junior varsity squad at their high school! To top it off, three of our players have made their varsity squads! Adam Shapelow and Nick Keefer are varsity starters at Walkersville high school as sophomores; and Danny Miller just got his first varsity win for Catoctin as a freshman!
We're so proud of all of our Lions' players and we're looking forward to seeing all of them enjoy great success at the high school level and beyond.
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Lions Wrap Up Very Successful Season
The Lions capped off a brilliant fall season on October 23rd with their appearance in the championship game at the prestigious Sports at the Beach Seaside Slam tournament. Despite a tough 3-2 loss, the Lions capped a very successful season where they accumulated a 12-5 record with two of their losses coming to teams in older age divisions. The Lions outscored their opponents 114-56. The Lions played in 4 tournaments where they never finished lower than 3rd place against excellent competition. Here's a list of the Lions' accomplishments this season:
3rd place - ECTB Heroes Remembered Invitational
3rd place - Triple Crown Fall Championship
Runners Up - BPA Varsity State Championships
Champions - BPA JV State Championships
Runners Up - Sports at the Beach Seaside Slam Tournament
The Lions will say goodbye to Adam Shapelow, Patrick Quinn, Nick Keefer, and Evan Ponton as they will move up and move on next year. We're appreciative of the experience, talent, and leadership that they've brought to the team. There's no way we can fully express how much we'll miss them all. On the bright side, the Lions will have 8 players who will be eligible to return to the team next year which provides an excellent foundation for next year's squad.
We want to extend our deepest appreciation to the parents of our players. Due to their commitment and sacrifice in so many ways, we were able to have an outstanding season where we accomplished so much. Without them, this never could have happened. Thank you all so much!
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Lions Rock at the Beach!
Mother Nature played havoc with the Sports at the Beach schedule, but the Lions played havoc with the competition! Featuring eight of the toughest travel teams in the mid Atlantic region, the Lions entered the shortened Sunday schedule with their work cut out for them. Because of the tournament being shortened to one day, all eight teams played two games with only the top two teams going to the championship. Those two teams were selected using a tie breaking criteria including record, head-to-head, least runs allowed, most runs scored, etc. With such stout competition, there was little room for error as virtually any team in the tournament had the power to go all the way.
Led by stellar pitching, outstanding defense, and a potent offensive attack, the Lions won their first game against the mighty Shorebirds 11-5, then beat the Piedmont/Delaware Stars 8-1 to give them a runs scored of 19 with a runs allowed of only 6 which gave them a #1 seeding sending them to the championship. The Lions met the Delaware Angels in the big game where they lost a heartbreaker by a measure of 3-2.
It was an impressive ending to a great season. Given the fact that the Lions will only lose two players to age eligibility, the team looks to be quite formidable next year with virtually the whole squad eligible to return.
Special thanks go out to all of the Lions parents and family for their contributions and sacrifices this season. Everyone helped in one way or another and without their support, this couldn't have happened. We owe our success to you! Thank you for sharing your wonderful young men with us, we've been blessed with a great experience and many wonderful memories!
For tournament details, click the logo above, or go to Click here to view the tournament details.
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Lions Win JV State Championship, Finish Runners-Up in Varsity Division!
The Lions went 2-2 in tournament play at the BPA States. The Lions won the JV division, and finished as runners-up in the Varsity division playing against older competition.
Due to a lack of enrollment in the 16U/Junior Varsity Divison, the tournament director moved the Lions up into the Varsity division for the tournament. As such, the Lions who are made up of mainly Freshmen and Sophomores with only three Juniors, were pitted against teams with all Juniors and Seniors for the tournament. Between the two teams, every high school varsity program in Calvert County was represented in this tournament. Undaunted, the Lions dug in and prepared for battle.
Linganore High School's Pat Quinn took the mound for the Lions in the very first game of the tournament. Quinn was unhittable - literally. Featuring a fine mix of pitches, complimented by an absolutely stellar defensive effort, Quinn pitched a no-hitter enroute to a 4-0 Lions win! In the second game, Catoctin ace Daniel Miller got the nod to face the SYB Red Raiders - which is made up of predominately next year's Patuxent High School varsity squad with several neighboring players added to the mix. Miller struggled with an inconsistent strike zone and tough location. Crafty 14 yr old Middletown Knight Will Bell came on in relief and was able to induce the Raider batters to hit a lot of poorly struck balls which the defense promptly vacuumed up. But the damage had been done with the final score 6-2.
The Lions entered Sunday's contest as a #2 seed which brought them a rematch with the Calvert Sharks once again. Calvert Hall Cardinal sophomore Michael Dillon enthusiastically requested the start on the hill and did not disappoint. Dillon threw an absolute gem for the Lions. Dillon left after 6 innings with 88 pitches and a 3-1 lead. The Lions were able to shut down a Shark rally to notch the final win with a nail-biting 3-2 final score. Adam Shapelow picked up the save.
With their win, the Lions advanced to the championship game and a rematch against the SYB Red Raiders. Walkersville Lion junior hurler Adam Shapelow fell victim to a horribly inconsistent strike zone which decidedly shifted the advantage to the local boys. Ironically, Shapelow and Miller faced the same plate umpire in each of their contests. Not getting calls on the corners, or any breaking balls allowed the Raider hitters to sit back and wait for a fastball right down the middle to hit. After tossing 80+ pitches in 3 innings, Linganore's freshman Dani Ashbaugh got the nod to take the mound in relief. Ashbaugh threw well for the Lions keeping the eager Raider hitters off-balance. Unfortunately, the Raider's hard throwing lefty was too much for the Lion's offense, as the Lions were unable to plate any runs despite threatening several times. The final score was a respectable 8-0.
When the dust settled, the Lions came away with a very fulfilling 2-2 record against some very, very tough competition. This will be a great tune up for the Lions as they travel to Rehoboth, Delaware to the beautiful Sports at the Beach complex where they will finish up the season against some of the finest 16U teams in the east.
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Deja' Vous - Lions Take Third In Triple Crown Fall Invitational
The Lions turned in a very impressive showing at the Triple Crown Fall Invitational in Ashland, Va. Bouyed by stellar pitching performances, strong defense, and great patience at the plate, the Lions run-ruled every one of their opponents up til the semi-final game where they lost a heartbreaker.
Linganore High School's fantastic freshman Dani Ashbaugh once again turned in a phenomenal performance on the hill in the first game completely shutting out the eventual tournament champion Chantilly Raiders in a mercy rule win. This was Ashbaugh's second big win in as many weeks.
Brunswick HS freshman phenom Houston Darling was up to the task as well in the second game of the day silencing the offense of Central Virginia Baseball Academy's Brookneal squad. Darling threw a complete game in only 59 pitches as the Lions notched a 14-4 victory.
The Lions knock out victories were enough to earn them a coveted second seeding in the tournament going into Sunday.
Linganore High School's fireballing junior Evan Ponton took the bump for the Lions in the third game of the tournament on Sunday morning. Ponton looked strong only giving up 1 run in two innings of work. Ponton experienced some slight tenderness in his shoulder, so he bowed out of the game in favor of his Linganore team mate Pat Quinn. Quinn was absolutely dominant as he shut down the Legion squad from central Virginia. Quinn never faced more than four batters in any inning. The Lions' offense chased the hard throwing hot-shot Legion southpaw after the second inning where they blew the game open with a 6-spot. The Lions never looked back and finished the 5th with a 9-1 mercy rule victory.
After a long layoff, the Lions met the Lehigh Valley Warriors in the semi-final game of the tournament. As a compliment, the Lions faced their ace as the Warriors decided to take their chances in an effort to make it to the 'ship. The decision ultimately cost the Warriors as they were crushed by the Chantilly Raiders 11-6 in the championship. Remember, the Raiders were run-ruled by the Lions in the first game of the tournament. Calvert Hall Cardinal's ace Michael Dillon took the hill for the Lions and was extremely effective silencing the Warriors attack allowing a single run through 5 innings. The Lions scored first as leadoff man Houston Darling did what he does best - got on base and then was advanced, eventually scoring on a gorgeous sac fly by Catoctin High School star Danny Miller. The score was knotted until the 5th when the Lions got another run as Catoctin High School's Adam Cordell dented the plate to give the Lions a one-run advantage.
Timely hitting and good fortune allowed the Warriors to plate 4 runs in the 6th inning which spelled the difference in the game. The Warrior coach, afraid of the Lions' potent offense, abusively kept his ace pitcher in the game where he threw a 7 inning performance on a disgusting 122 pitches. Obviously he had nothing left in reserve as the Warriors were overwhelmed in the final game allowing 11 runs.
Overall, it was a great showing for the boys from Maryland. The team showed signs of improvement in every single aspect of the game. The Lions' mercy rule drubbing of their opponents drew a lot of attention and garnered the Lions a number of invitations in the 2006 season. The Lions go into an off week where they'll get a chance to re-charge their batteries and come into the second half of the season with a renewed vigor.
Tournament photographs can be found in our Photo Album and also by clicking the tournament link HERE.. You'll need to select the tournament, and then select one of our games. Tournament results can be viewed by clicking HERE. As a result of their finish, the Lions qualified for the Triple Crown Super Regional next summer. Oh well...
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Lions take 3rd in Heroes Remembered Tournament!
Lions' pride was abundant late Sunday night in Allentown, Pa. The Lions participated in their very first tournament as a team against some of the finest travel teams in the northeast. With only three weeks together and a combined 10 practices under their belt, the Lions went toe-to-toe with teams who have played together all year long - and won! Amazingly, the Lions' pitching staff, backed by their stellar defensive play, held their competition to only 6 runs total over the course of 4 games!
In the first game, the Lions were led on the hill by Linganore HS ace Evan Ponton. Ponton was totally dominant on the mound for the Lions only giving up 2 hits on the day, throwing a complete 5 inning game on only 79 pitches! Ponton was supported by an impressive offensive attack as the Lions pounded out 12 runs in the mercy-rule winning effort highlighted by an inside the park homerun by Adam Shapelow. Rock solid defense was also in vogue featuring some amazing defensive plays. Adam Cordell showed off his exceptional range and speed running down a sure double in the gap in left field and pulling it in for a big out. Brian Smith made another web gem as he laid out deep behind second base and snagged an impossible hard-hit ground ball and flipped to waiting shortstop Shapelow to start a 4-6-3 double play.
Young Dani Ashbaugh, a fireballing freshman hurler from Linganore HS got the start for the Lions in the second game on the hill and turned in a real gem. Ashbaugh faced the hometown Allentownship Stars who had just come off of a big ECTB Labor Day tournament win the previous weekend. The Lions battled in a see-saw game with each side trading punches. Ashbaugh turned in a great performance holding the hometown boys potent offense in-check until relievers Michael Dillon, Adam Shapelow, and Daniel Miller successively came on in relief to close the door on any hopes of a rally by the Stars. When the dust settled and the sun set, the Lions walked away with a brilliant 3-2 victory!
Because of their astonishing first day performance, the Lions earned a coveted #2 seeding in the tournament giving them a first-round bye in the single elimination tournament - one of only two awarded. This was especially significant considering that it was a 14 team tournament!
After the games on the first day, the Lions went back to the hotel, cleaned up, and went to dinner together to celebrate at Damons, a popular sports restaurant where they consumed copious amounts of steak, mozarella sticks, buffalo wings, and soft drinks. Fortunately, as a result of their seeding, the Lions were able to get some much-needed sleep the next morning as their first scheduled game wasn't until 1:30. Definitely an advantage to being a winner!
Sunday morning dawned, and after a nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant, the Lions put back on their game faces and headed off to do battle. A superstitious bunch, the Lions players elected to wear their white uniforms once again on Sunday as they had provided them with a generous measure of good luck. This forced the team mothers to ban together in search of a laundromat.
At 1:30, the Lions met on the diamond against the Hudson Valley Knights from New York. The Knights were riding high coming off of a big 1-0 victory over eventual semi-finalist Pennsylvania Slug Fest. Before the game, each team gathered on the field and paid their respects with a moment of silence to honor those who sacrificed and gave so much on 9/11. That was further reinforced and brought home to the Lions as they played a team from New York who had a member of the coaching staff who is a NY City Fireman.
Sunday's games took on a whole new attitude as each team entered the single elimination phase where even a single loss would squash each team's dreams of championship glory. Intensity was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Middletown High School's crafty righthander Will Bell took the hill for the Lions and battled despite not having his best stuff. The Lions played stellar defense behind him and Bell responded by getting stronger as the game progressed. The Knights scored first on the Lions using some fortunate and timely hitting and running taking a 1-0 lead. As Bell tired after notching a brilliant outing, Walkersville High School's All-MVAL selection Adam Shapelow took the hill in relief and continued Bell's dominance. The Lions stuck back after Houston Darling, one of the team's youngest players absolutely CRUSHED an RBI triple. Not to be outdone, Adam Shapelow hit the longest shot of the tournament with an inside-the-park homerun that rolled on forever as the field had no outfield fence. The Lions took over with a 3-1 lead. Shapelow only allowed another single run before the rally was put to sleep. The Lions killed any hopes of a Knight rally with some gorgeous defensive play and a particularly impressive defensive play by catcher Pat Quinn as he caught the Knight's tying run in a run-down and then persevered in the resulting collision at homeplate to shut down their adversaries from NY. It was an intense meeting between the two squads to say the least, but once again - the Lions came out on top 3-2.
The Lions hustled back to Bicentennial Park for what was scheduled to be a 5pm semi-final game only to find that the next game before theirs hadn't even started yet! After waiting for around 4 or more hours, the Lions finally got underway around 7:30 in the semi-final game against another NY team, the Hudson Valley Bombers who entered the day as a #3 seed right behind the Lions. In what was characterized by the tournament director and the umpires as easily being the best game of the tournament, the Lions and the Bombers went to war inside the chalk.
Calvert Hall Cardinals ace sophomore Michael Dillon took the hill for the Lions and turned in a performance worthy of a game of this caliber. Dillon battled and made big pitches when necessary holding the Bombers at-bay for most of the game. Despite some tough breaks and difficult calls, Dillon kept his composure and battled through it. The Lions' defense was once again impressive. Chris Dube' made a bid for easily being the finest 1st baseman in the tournament with his amazing ability to pick and block balls no matter where they were thrown. Dani Ashbaugh also made a webgem play laying out towards the bag at 3rd snagging what could have been a triple.
After several innings of trading punches, the Knights finally got a runner on base who was able to steal second. After a miscue on a pickoff play, the Knight runner advanced to third and later scored on a sacrifice fly to score the only run of the game. Catoctin High School phenom Sophomore Daniel Miller took the hill for the Lions in relief of Dillon's impressive outing and slammed the door shut on any hopes of the Knights adding to their lead. The Lions threatened repeatedly putting runners in scoring position many times, but they just couldn't find a way to push the tying run across the plate. When the final out was recorded, the Lions came up on the short end of a 1-0 loss. Perhaps it was for the better anyway. The Lions' game ended at 9:30pm on a Sunday school night. The championship game started at 10pm which would have put most Lion players back at home at 3am which certainly wouldn't have been an option. Compliments and kudos abounded for the Lions after the game. Knights coaches and team members called the Lions "the best team they'd played ALL YEAR". No one could believe that the gentlemen from Maryland had only been together for a mere 3 weeks with a whopping 10 practices under their belt.
It was an incredible start on the season for the young men from south of the Mason Dixon line. After several days off to recharge their batteries, the Lions will prepare this week to head down to Ashland, Virginia to do battle with some of the finest squads available south of Maryland.
Stay tuned, it's shaping up to be an exciting season of Lions baseball!!!
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Congratulations 2005 Lions!
(the dirty dozen!)
The results of the Lions' tryouts are in and the following members have made the 2005 squad:
Adam Shapelow: All-MVAL Varsity SS/RHP Walkersville HS
Daniel Miller: Varsity RHP/IF/OF Catoctin HS
Brian Smith: JV 2B/RHP Walkersville HS
Will Bell: OF/RHP Frederick Hustlers/Middletown HS
Patrick Quinn: JV C/3B Mount Saint Joseph's HS /Linganore HS
Christopher Dube': JV DH/1B/C Walkersville HS
Dani Ashbaugh: JV RHP/IF/OF Frederick Rangers/Linganore HS
Houston Darling: JV RHP/IF/OF Brunswick HS
Michael Dillon: JV SS/RHP Calvert Hall College HS
Adam Cordell: JV 3B/OF/P Catoctin HS
Evan Ponton: JV 3B/1B/P Linganore HS
Nick Keefer: All-MVAL Varsity C/3B/RHP Walkersville HS
Congratulations to the new squad members! We're looking forward to a very successful season.
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Lions Fall Schedule
The Lions are expecting to play a robust, very competitive schedule this fall season. Current plans have the Lions competing in approximately 5 top level travel team tournaments during the fall season. We are also looking to augment our tournament schedule with local games against other elite teams in our area as well.
The tournament schedule is as follows:
September 10-11, 2005 Elite Championship Tournament Baseball (ECTB) 2nd Annual Heroes Remembered 16U Invitational (Allentown, Pa.)
*REGISTERED, PAID & CONFIRMED*
September 17-18, Triple Crown Fall Invitational (Ashland, Va.) Location website: Virginia Sports Complex (Very close to Kings Dominion)Confirmed, Registered, Paid Schedules available Tuesday, Sept. 13.
September 24, 25: Family Weekend Off
October 2, 2005 9 inning scrimmage with West York HS Varsity @ Thurmont Senior League Complex, Thurmont, Md. 1pm game start.
October 8, 9, 2005 Elite Championship Tournament Baseball Columbus Day Bash Allentown, Pa. *CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN*
October 15, 16, 2005 BPA Mid-Atlantic JV States (Patuxent High School, Lusby, MD) *REGISTERED, PAID, CONFIRMED*
October 22, 23, 2005 Sports at the Beach Seaside Slam III (Georgetown, Delaware) *REGISTERED, PAID & CONFIRMED*
This should be a great opportunity for our players to challenge themselves against some of the most elite competition that the mid Atlantic region has to offer.
If you need to contact us, please do so by clicking HERE
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Mason Dixon Angels
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2004 Archives
As they say, all great things must come to an end, and so has the magical Lions' season. The Lions, a real "patchwork quilt" collection of players from the four corners of the county accomplished and surpassed every goal set for them this season. A group of players who when the season started knew very few of their new team mates faces, ended the season as a family.
Intense practices in August brought sweat to the brow of the young men, but their promise was apparent from the beginning. For most, they were learning a completely new system and some were hesitant to buy into it, but after the first day of the season, all of that was gone as the Lions overmatched their opponent in a double header. Success has a way of doing that.
The Lions began the league season in dramatic fashion in Brunswick dismantling the Railroaders, sending a message to the league that they were a force to be reckonned with. The second game of the season was even more lopsided as the Lions did what they wanted with their hapless prey, turning around and switch hitting after the first inning. After that, the Lions met their first challenge...
With youth sports, adults have a way of using politics as a means to try to accomplish their small minded goals. That was in evidence to the fullest extent as Gwen and Andy Jordan of Thurmont Babe Ruth wrapped their wicked tentacles around the Frederick Babe Ruth league in a feeble effort to strongarm players from the Thurmont area to play for their pathetic organization - all the while using politics and deniability as a mask for their evil intentions. To make things more complicated, they had the full support of Babe Ruth State Director Harry Hammond who has singlehandedly virtually diamantled the Babe Ruth program in the state of Maryland over the years with his partisan politics.
The Lions family met and quickly decided that we'd begun the season as a team and we'd continue on as a team - even if it meant having to go it alone - and they did. The monumentally selfish Jordan family never ended up being able to handcuff enough players to play in their pitiful organization, but finished content that they had literally deprived FOUR full teams of players throughout the county of a place to play fall baseball.
The Lions played a number of pick up games against a variety of opponents including Sykesville, and friendly rival Thurmont Cougars. They even made a very impressive showing against next year's Frederick American Legion 16U team 5-3 as they mounted a rally called short by darkness.
One of the most impressive qualities about the Lions is that they're an absolutely fearless group of players. They set out in the season with a "we'll play anyone, anywhere, anytime" mentality - and they stuck to it. In late September, the Lions traveled to Harrisburg, Pa. where they participated in a travel tournament featuring teams from all over the region. One hitch, the Lions were put into a higher age bracket where they faced teams with 15-17 yr old players. The catch is that the Lions are made up of 13-15s! Worry? Heck NO! The Lions came out going toe to toe against the Tri County Cougars on a dramatic pitching effort by ace lefty Ray Riggles holding them to an impressive 4-1 score. Later in the season, the Cougars won their 16U age bracket in the Sports at the Beach tournament in Delaware.
Later that day, the Lions made another impressive showing against host Central Pennsylvania Capitals 16U Red in what amounted to a nail biter up until the very end where the Lions showed a very gritty detemination to compete. The following day, the Lions met up with the Central Pennsylvania Capitals 17U Blue team. Will Bell debuted his new submarine pitching style which baffled the Caps batters for most of the game. But the big boys were just too much for the Lions, as they earned a 10-run decision. The final game of the tournament found the Lions meeting once again with the Caps' 17U Blue team! Anyone with a shred of common sense would have expected that the Lions would have cowered in fear, folded the tent, and quit... right? WRONG! The Lions' competitive fire had a bucket of gasoline thrown on it and they jumped out on the Caps in the first inning plating 6 runs and putting the Caps on the retreat for the rest of the contest. When the dust settled, the Lions were left standing with a 13-12 victory! David had defeated Goliath, and quickly became the talk of the tournament.
The following weekend was the Lions' shining moment. The boys traveled to Georgetown Delaware to compete in the Sports at the Beach - Beach Brawl tournament at their beautiful complex in Georgetown, Delaware. The tournament was made possible by Carol Riggles who had secured a generous donation of sponsorship money from her employer Ausherman Homes. The boys all stayed together at the same hotel and it gave them a chance to really bond and enjoy each other's fellowship. The Lions began the first day in a heavy downpour that found them edging the Potomac Generals, a travel team out of northern Virginia, 2-1 in a picture perfect battle. Justin Denton threw an absolute gem on the hill blowing the ball past the General's batters. Later in the afternoon, still under considerable rainy conditions, the Lions shocked the Rangers from the All Star Baseball Academy in Downingtown, Pa., a travel organization from the Philly area who had played over 90 games thus far in the season. The Lions were a double-play turning machine showcasing their amazing defense which continued to take the wind out of the sails of the very cocky Pennsylvania team. Aggressive baserunning, and fundamental hitting carried the day for the Lions as they mounted an impressive offensive attack which was just too much for the Rangers to handle. As the day ended, the muddy Lions emerged with a hard-fought 8-6 victory. Danny Miller turned in a gem on the hill for the Lions as Adam Shapelow closed both games for the boys in blue.
Saturday night was time to PAR-TAY! The entire group of players and parents went to a local sports restaurant where all of the players and all of the parents were able to sit together and really get to know each other. The food was great, but the company was even better. Carol even led us back to the hotel after dinner! (inside joke here) Back at the hotel, the boys changed into their comfy clothes and sat down to a hot hand of poker which lasted into the night. Apparently the Lions figure that after they're done playing World Series baseball on ESPN, then they can showcase their abilities on the World Series of Poker - also on ESPN. Much to Coach Ringer's surprise, as he headed off to bed, he found a separate faction of the team had settled into his hotel room to play Play Station!
The next morning dawned with overcast, chilly weather - just right for the red-hot Lions! In one of the most bizarre games, the Lions overcame some first-class Bush league play and defeated the Delaware Storm 4-1. Zach Little posted an absolutely stellar performance on the mound shutting down the Storm attack while also picking off TWO straight runners from first base!
For lunch between games, the Lions decided to ditch the ballpark food in favor of buffalo wings from where else... HOOTERS! With Coach Shapelow leading, the caravan left the ballpark and headed east to Rehoboth Beach where the Lions descended on the restaurant like locusts. After clearing out their supply of wings and french fries, the gang headed back to the complex with full stomachs and sore eyes! Adam Shapelow took the hill for the Lions against the Delaware Dragons in commanding fashion retiring the side using a minimum of pitches through the first three innings. Apparently the Lions still had visions of Hooter-Girls dancing in their heads as they made error after error behind Adam. Coach Ringer gathered the Lions together on the sideline, brought them back to Earth, and finally the Lions buckled down for the rest of the game and came back on a tear turning the tables on the Dragons and putting the game away to earn a tournament sweep!
After the boys came home, they had a match up with MMTA power Sykesville Cyclones who are a perennial favoriate in the MMTA league. The Lions were unphased by all of that as they dispatched their adversaries easily 9-3 sending them out to enjoy the Thurmont Color Fest early.
The Lions wrapped up what would be the end of their season with a match up with their friendly rivals the Thurmont Cougars. The Cougars employed a very Lion-like strategy of throwing soft tossers against great fastball hitting teams as they challenged the Lions to stay back on their pitcher. The Lions struggled with that all night as their aggression got the best of them. The Lions prevailed in the end 2-0 in a game shortened by darkness.
Sadness takes over now as the Lions will scatter back to their own four corners of the baseball world once again. But we'll all have fond memories of our experiences and successes together to carry us forward in the future.
I just want to thank everyone for their support and the kindness that they've shown us this season and let them know how much I appreciate everything they've done. I also hope that the players will hold on to the things we've tried to teach them and that they help to make them better players in the future. Thank you all for an absolutely wonderful season!
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2006 Mason Dixon Lions 16U Fall Select Baseball
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