LABELLE, Fla — The LaBelle Legends All-Star baseball team is heading up to the state tournament for the first time ever! Fox 4’s Hendry County Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski works in the area daily so people there know him and his stories.
That’s why he was invited to ride along with the team as they paraded through town on their way to Melbourne for the big game.
Watch to see how LaBelle came together to celebrate this team's historic state tournament run:
It was a parade fit for champions - squad cars and fire trucks led the way Friday morning, as neighbors lined Bridge Street, signs in hand, cheering the Legends on for making LaBelle history.
But before all the fanfare, it was back to the basics. Fielding drills and batting practice - one last round of reps before hitting the road.
“We’ve been looking to do this for a while and we finally get the opportunity to do it. Now let’s make sure we go win,” said players Cooper Smith and Aaiden Meyer
The LaBelle Legends All-Stars are one of eight teams heading to the state tournament in Melbourne. They’ll play all eight teams, and whoever has the best record moves on to the championship game. And Coach Bryce Hall says this team knows how to handle the pressure.
“It’s real rewarding to watch these kids. They get out there and act like it’s normal every single day. I’ve never seen this group tense up, even with you here, they’ve just got a lock in mentality. Let’s do it, you know?” Bryce said.
If they win state, Bryce says the next stop is regionals in Georgia. And from there a shot at the Little League World Series! But for LaBelle, Bryce says this means so much more than just the scoreboard.
“Everybody’s excited for them. I want them to enjoy it but I don’t want the hype too big because they still got a job to do. But they’ll remember this, they’ll be our age growing up and saying ‘hey, I did that’. It’s super cool,” Bryce said.
After one last break, the team packed their bags, loading up cars decorated with good luck messages painted on the windows by family and friends. And Coach Bryce says, win or lose, this team has already left its mark.
