In an amazing display of skill and teamwork, the 11u Yellow Jackets Black team emerged victorious at the USSSA Eastern National tournament held in Ocean City. The team, based in Damascus, Maryland, under the Poolesville Athletic Association, showcased their prowess by going undefeated throughout the tournament and clinching the championship game with a decisive 12-1 victory, winning by mercy rule.
The team, composed of talented girls from Poolesville, Damascus, and Olney areas, demonstrated exceptional unity and determination on their path to becoming champions. Their performance at the tournament is a testament to their relentless pursuit of excellence, a quality that their head coach, Kelley Tompkins, passionately highlighted in her remarks.
“Proud is an inadequate word to describe how I feel about this team,” Coach Tompkins expressed. “They are relentless in their pursuit of excellence. They fight as a unit and never give up. They raise the bar high and keep lifting it each day. They expect excellence and demand success. They are surrounded with a strong showing of fans and supporters who help them do work. They look out for each other. They clap up other teams. They get hype, they don’t give up, they are gritty. They were challenged to rise, kill & eat this week, and boy, did they rise to win, baby, win. They were unbeatable this week. Congratulations team, you are the USSSA East Coast Events 11u Open National CHAMPIONS!!!!”
Adding to the praises, pitching coach Duane Alexander, who is also Coach Tompkins’ father, remarked on the team’s extraordinary potential. “When you challenge a hard-working group of young ladies who play as a team, the sky is the limit. It’s amazing what they can accomplish,” he said.
The roster of the team can be seen below:
– Isabella DeVriendt (#22)
– Avery Brindley (#1)
– Lanea Hudson (#4)
– Summer Butt (#5)
– Elena Tompkins (#7)
– Amelia Gill (#10)
– Reagan Willis (#14)
– Leah Molovinsky (#15)
– Tessa Reece (#18)
– Anna Sardelis (#23)
– Cameron Oristian (#33)
– Marley Robinson (#77)
