Garner Baseball Express teams bring home championships

Posted June 30, 2009 at 11:06 am and filed under Sports.

Years of hard work and dedication paid off this month when two GBI Express teams brought state championships home to Garner.

The 12U GBI Express team, coached by Deuce Wall, won the U.S. Specialty Sports Association 12U AA State Championships in Kernersville Sunday, June 14. Later that day, the 11U GBI Express team, coached by Clyde Boyette, won the 11U AA State Championships in Greensboro.

12U GBI Express

The 12U GBI Express compiled a 4-0 record for the weekend, which culminated with their being crowned 2009 USSSA N.C. State Champions.

The GBI 12U Express team

The GBI 12U Express team

The Express have been like a bullet train this season. Since their season began in September 2008, they have won 33 out of the 42 games they have played. The 12U Express placed first in the state and third nationally in USSSA rankings – quite an achievement for this group of boys who have been playing together since they were 10 years old.

This win has qualified the Express for the USSSA 12U World Series, taking place in Knoxville, Tenn., the week of July 6.

11U GBI Express

The 11U GBI Express went 5-0 for the weekend, battling through a field of 14 top teams from around the state on their way to a state championship. In four of the five games the Express overcame deep deficits late in the game, coming from behind to grab the wins.

The GBI 11U Express team

The GBI 11U Express team

In the fourth inning of the championship game, down 6-0, the 11U GBI Express began chanting, “Comeback kids,” as they mounted a six-run rally. They tied the game that inning on Lane Gorrell’s three-run homerun.

They scrapped for two more runs in the fifth as Drew Boumenot closed the game with two shut-out innings of pitching.

In addition to winning the USSSA State Championship this season, the 11U GBI Express won the Beast Down East NIT Tournament in April and finished runner-up in several other tournaments.

They finish the season ranked 11th in the nation in USSSA rankings and have qualified for the 11U World Series to be held in Charlotte in July.

GBI Express program

The GBI Express program is a travel baseball program formed by Garner Baseball Inc. to give GBI players an opportunity to experience the competition of travel baseball while keeping them in the GBI program.

A primary reason for its formation was to slow the flow of talented players from the recreational league to the many independent travel teams in the area. By doing so, they help GBI maintain a robust and competitive recreational league for children of all ability levels to learn the game of baseball. It currently fields successful travel teams in the 8U, 9U, 10U, 11U and 12U age groups.

Submitted by Cathy Smith

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