ONEONTA, NY -- It’s not every day a baseball team from Ohio wins a national tournament in the shadows of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.  Then again, the Teays Valley 12U Vikings are hardly a run-of-the-mill baseball team.

The Vikings return to Ashville after sweeping the competition at the Cooperstown All-Star Village in New York.  They knocked off the top-seeded Kingston (Maryland) Royals 6-2 to capture the championship.  For the week, the Vikings were a perfect 10-0 against teams from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Illinois and Maryland and ran their season record to lofty 42-6.

The Cooperstown All-Star Village is a baseball paradise perched in the rolling hills of central New York’s Adirondack Mountains.  Eight perfectly manicured baseball fields -- complete with permanent fences, warning tracks, brick dust infields, and lights -- allow 24 teams of 12-year-old boys to feel like they are playing in the big leagues for a week.  It’s a ball players dream.  First baseman/catcher Steven Dayton called home the first day to tell his dad the infields were like walking on the fairway of a country club.

After the 11 hour drive from Columbus, every player was issued a home and an away uniform.  An on-site laundry service picked up dirty uniforms twice a day, guaranteeing perfectly decked-out players for each and every game.  Teams were assigned bunkhouses where the players and coaches would live for the week.  A baseball glove-shaped swimming pool was just around the corner as was the dining hall where the teams went for three family style meals a day.

Teams played two games a day for the first three days of the tournament.  The team’s record in the pool play portion of the tournament determined the seeding for the single-elimination championship bracket. 

Teays Valley rolled from the start with a 10-0 win against the Jersey Shore (NJ) Surf in its opening game.  Viking pitchers Jake Hamilton and Jake Niggemeyer combined to no-hit the Surf while the offense set the tone with 16 hits that included seven extra base hits.  The running game racked up an impressive 12 stolen bases before the game was called after four innings because of the ten-run mercy rule.

Rain was about the only thing to cool the Vikings’ bats.  Heavy thunderstorms ended the Vikings day a bit early in the second Sunday game.  Teays Valley was declared the rain-soaked 11-6 winner over a team from New Hope Solebury, Pennsylvania.  The Vikings pounded three homers before showers and lightning washed away the conclusion of the game.

The soggy bats didn’t stay quiet long.  Monday morning against the New York Falcons, the Vikings sent a message to tournament field that Teays Valley was for real.  Eight home runs flew out of the park, including three by catcher Jayce Vancenta and two more by pitcher Bryce Castilleja.  The battery mates from Toledo drove in 11 runs as the Vikings cruised to a 17-7 win over the Falcons.

Next was an impressive 8-0 win over Tennessee’s Central Cougars.  It also marked the second no-hitter by Teays Valley pitching in as many days.  Starter Jake Niggemeyer cruised to the victory before reliever Jayce Vancenta came in to slam the door on the Cougars.  Teays managed just six singles for the game, but nine stolen bases and some timely hitting led to a confidence building win.  The Central game showcased the Vikings’ stellar defense.  Shortstop Joey Mundy made a diving catch in shallow left field to preserve the no-hitter in the bottom of the fifth.  An inning later, Landon Foreman crashed into the leftfield wall as he made a highlight-reel grab for the final out of the game.

Versatility was the name of the game Tuesday.  Usual centerfielder Evan White got the start on the hill for the Vikings before solid relief pitching by Jake Niggemeyer and Joey Mundy locked down a 10-0 win over the Pine Hill (NJ.)  That trio allowed only three hits, while back-up catcher Steven Dayton sparked the offense with a line drive homer to right center.

The win set up a bracket-busting showdown with the Plainfield Panthers later that evening.  Like Teays Valley, the club from Illinois was 5-0 for the week.  Both teams were gunning for the top-seed in the championship bracket.  It didn’t take long for the Vikings to knock the wind out of the Rams’ sails.  Four runs in the bottom of the first put Teays Valley in the driver’s seat.  Right-fielder Tyler Cowles continued to swing a scorching bat.  His fourth home run of the week was one of four long balls hit by the Vikings.  Dayton, White and Castilleja also went deep against the Panthers as part of an 18 hit eruption.

Despite a perfect 6-0 start, the Vikings were slotted as the number two seed based on a tie-breaker for runs allowed.  As a top four seed, the Vikings earned a first-round bye in the championship bracket and slept late as the tournament rolled into Wednesday.

A rematch with Jersey Shore lasted just four innings.  Dominating pitching limited the Surf to two hits while the Vikings pushed their way to an 11-1 rout.  After a dinner break, it was back to work against the 7th-seeded Lions of Longwood, New York.  The Lions looked formidable when lead-off hitter Clarence Weiss roped a single to centerfield and promptly stole second.  But that was the only base runner allowed by starter Jake Niggemeyer.  He fanned seven on his way to a 13-0 win in four innings.  The Vikings took the pressure off Niggemeyer by pounding 16 hits and four more home runs on their way to a berth in Thursday’s tournament semi-finals.

The Monroe Crusaders were all that stood between the Vikings and a trip to the championship game in Cooperstown.  Left-hander Jake Hamilton took the hill for the Vikings and was overpowering.  The hard-throwing lefty stymied the Crusaders’ bats before back-to-back-to-back tape-measure homers by Castilleja, Vancenta, and Cowles broke Monroe’s back in the fourth.  Teays Valley rolled to a 10-0 mercy win in five innings and punched its ticket to the title game.

The only team left in the single elimination bracket was the top-seeded Kingston Royals from Maryland.  The speedy Royals had run their way to a 9-0 record in the tournament, racking up a mind-boggling 102 stolen bases along the way.  As a team, the Royals were hitting an impressive .435 with 14 home runs. 

It didn’t take long to see that the Royals were for real.  An early single by Josh Gunkel  followed by a home run by starting pitcher Jeremy Caulkins had the crowd of 15-hundred fans on their feet.  Caulkins, a hard-throwing left-hander, held the 2-0 lead until the third inning when his opposite number Jake Niggemeyer socked a solo home run.  A couple pitches later, Bryce Castilleja launched a bomb to center to tie the game.  An RBI single by Evan White a few batters later had Teays Valley ahead 3-2.

Teays clung to the one-run lead until the sixth when the Vikings played small ball to load the bases.  Tyler Cowles singled to right and stole second.  Bunt singles by Garrett Gilliland and Daniel O’Keefe loaded the bases with nobody out.  Pinch-hitter Steven Dayton quickly provided an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to deep left field.  Joey Mundy then laced a two-run double just inside the rightfield chalk for a 6-2 cushion.

Niggemeyer took care of the rest.  The lanky right-hander slammed the door with two strikeouts in the bottom of the sixth before Castilleja fielded a bouncer to third and gunned it to first to seal the win.  Niggemeyer’s fastball in the championship game was clocked by the scoreboard radar at 78 miles an hour.  His complete game two-hitter featured ten strikeouts and only two walks.

The memories from a trip to the birthplace of baseball will forever be etched in the minds of the 12 young men and four coaches who went to New York.  For the rest of the world, the players and coaches have been induced into the Youth Baseball Hall of Fame.  Each inductee received a ring just like the Major League Hall of Famers received at Cooperstown over the weekend.

In winning the Cooperstown All-Star Village national baseball tournament, the Teays Valley 12U Vikings:

Led the tournament in team batting average (.469), slugging percentage (.890), runs scored (118), and fewest runs allowed (20)

Were second in home runs (27)

Were sixth in stolen bases (52)

5 of 12 players on the Teays Valley roster batted .500 or higher

7 of 12 players on the team homered during the tournament

Pitchers combined to toss two no-hitters, a one-hitter, and a pair of two-hitters.  They also recorded 5 shut-outs in 10 games

Viking pitching allowed only 3 runs in the final 4 games

Opponent batters hit less than .100 for the week

Only two of ten opponents managed to play a complete 6 inning game against the Vikings

Teays Valley 12U Vikings Baseball Roster

Head Coach: John Pettibone

Assistant Coaches: Lance Gilliland

                               James Niggemeyer

                               Sam Hamilton

 Players:                                              Position:

Bryce Castilleja                                    P/SS/3B

Tyler Cowles                                        RF/CF

Steven Dayton                                     C/1B

Landon Foreman                                  LF

Garrett Gilliland                                    2B

Jake Hamilton                                       P/1B

Joey Mundy                                           P/SS

Jake Niggemeyer                                  P/1B/3B

Daniel O’Keefe                                      LF

Sean Pettibone                                     2B/LF

Jayce Vancenta                                     P/C

Evan White                                           P/CF

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