Dixie Chicks

We had our team meeting and voted to go to Orlando, Fla. for the Worlds this year. Here's our tournament schedule: May 17-18 USSSA @ Bird May 24-25 USSSA @ Bird May 31-June 1 USSSA @ Petersburg June 7-8 ASA @ Lynchburg June 14-15 NSA @ Dorey or Glen Allen June 21-22 USSSA State Championship @ Williamsburg July 4-6 PONY @ Chambersburg Pa. July 12-13 NSA Queen of the Hill @ Dorey or Glen Allen July 19-20 USSSA @ Williamsburg or Bird July 28-August 3 USSSA World Series @ Orlando Fla. We only have one week off during the season, we need you girls rested and ready to play every game, every weekend. As always, GO CHICKS !!

Our Chicks finished 3rd in Powhatan last weekend. We won our first 4 games as a 14 & under team, then got beat in the semi-finals by a very good Richmond Storm team. We looked pretty good for only 3 practices and our first tournament in 2 months. We will get to play the Storm again and I expect different results next time. We play in Petersburg Oct. 12th and 13th. We have practice next Sunday, Sept. 29th at Midlothian Middle School. See you there, as always GO CHICKS!!

BY FRED JETER TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Slow-pitch softball is a popular sport for girls, but it has a major flaw: It's not offered on the high school level. That's why Allan Spencer decided it was time for a change. This summer, the Lady Hawks slow-pitch team became the Dixie Chicks fast-pitch squad. "There was no more competition for us in slow-pitch," Spencer said. "And it was time to get the girls ready for high school ball. I think you'll see some of them making their JV teams next spring as eighth-graders." A lot went into the conversion. First, Spencer merged the Hawks with the existing fast-pitch Dixie Chicks, coached by Dickie Childress. Childress brought his knowledge of fast-pitch and team name, along with his daughter, shortstop Amber Childress. "All the other players on last year's Dixie Chicks moved up to U-14," Spencer said. "Amber was the only one we got." Next, Spencer went shopping for a pitcher. He found what he was looking for in Meghan Cobb of Chester. "Meghan was awesome in rec ball," Spencer said. "I went down to look at her. I talked to her mother, and she decided to come with us." A final step for Spencer was to construct a batting cage in his back yard. "We started working last November learning to hit the fast pitch," Spencer said. "These girls put in thousands of hours. They took 200, 300 cuts a day. They stayed in that cage till their arms were tired." The strategy worked as the squad became an overnight success story. The maiden voyage into fast-pitch produced a 38-14 record with four tournament championships, including the Commonwealth Games. The Chicks finished their campaign by posting a 5-2 record and finishing third at the National Softball Association's U-12 World Series in Salem. "In one year, we went from being the best slow-pitch team around Richmond to being the best fast-pitch team," Spencer said. "Nobody around here beat us." Cobb, who attends Salem Church Middle, and Childress, of Midlothian Middle, were the only Chicks with fast-pitch experience. Both enjoyed eyebrow raising seasons. Throwing well in excess of 50 mph, Cobb, who lives in the L.C. Bird district, was 34-11 with a 1.92 earned-run average. She struck out 211 in 229 innings. "Meghan went from throwing 48 [mph] to close to 55 in the last year," Spencer said. "It's a good thing she did join us. There's no way the girls in the rec league could touch her. She would have just been blowing it by them . . . not even a good practice session." Childress, the youngest of five athletic sisters, was outstanding with the glove and bat. The shortstop hit .475 with 49 runs batted in and 39 stolen bases. She also had team-high totals in home runs (two), triples (13) and doubles (14). In the middle infield, Childress teamed with second baseman Lacy Jordan, a Brookland Middle student in western Henrico. Jordan led the team with a .486 average and 39 stolen bases. Other leading hitters were first baseman Kristi Collins (.472), third baseman Lauren Spencer (.358) and catcher Kelly Tsiptsis (.357). Team-wise, the Chicks hit .366 with a .445 on-base percentage. As a slow-pitch unit, the Lady Hawks won a string of state titles and were dominant in Chesterfield County under the Evergreen Association banner. Their former slow-pitch foes likely are happy to see them move on. Their future high school coaches are just as pleased to see them moving up.

Our Chicks finished the season in a great way. We went to the NSA World Series and ended up 3rd out of 56 teams. We were one of the last two undefeated teams in the tourney and we won our first 5 games including a 7-1 win over the Florida State Champs that were 48-0 before we beat them. We also went to the Commonwealth games after the Worlds and went 4-0 to win the gold medal. We got some revenge on the Peninsula Stars beating them 8-3 in the semi-finals. They were who knocked us out of the State Championship tournament back in June. It was a great season, we ended the year with 38 wins and 14 losses. We also won 4 tournaments and finished 2nd in two and 3rd in two. I was extremely proud of all the girls, it was a fun season and I had a blast. Thanks girls, as always GO CHICKS !!

Our Chicks put on awesome performance this past weekend and won the Queen of the Hill tournament at Dorey Park. We did it in spectaclular fashion by beating Fire & Ice 12-0 in the Championship game. I was proud of all the girls, they played great all day Saturday and Sunday. Let's take that momentum with us into next weeks World Series in Roanoke. See you at practice Thursday, July 11th at Watkins. GO CHICKS !!