The End of an Era

In beloved Tarheel fashion our boys ended this season in their lives with a 4-3 win in the finals of the Super Series State Tournament last night. It couldn't have been any sweeter. We all had known for a week that our Tarheel days were numbered and that they would be playing their last tournament under the amazing coaching of Coach Stuckey. It was a hard and emotional week, but they pulled it together, showed up, and played baseball. In the end our kids won another state title(the 10th or 11th we lost count along the way) and their 33rd tournament championship in 4 years of play.

I'm not sure where Blake is headed from here. I know he will be playing. Somewhere. The hope is that a group of our kids will stay together for the next year as they prepare to move into high school play, but the details have not yet been worked out. What I do know is that my son loves the game, is an amazing athlete, and one of the best catchers at this age that can be found. He had the honor of calling each pitch for his good friend who pitched one of the best games I've ever watched. The two of them were amazing and the smiles on their faces as they struck out batter after batter were PRICELESS. They were doing what they loved and they loved doing it. I'll never forget it. Right before Blake drifted off to sleep with a smile across his faced he told Dave and I, "I'll never forget this night. Never. It's one to remember."

Today our Tarheels headed off to school not knowing what their baseball future holds, but with a state championship in their memory banks. What a way to go out. Unforgettable!

Three of the last four originals. They played every pitch of every inning of every Tarheel game for 4 years.

For Blake the next few weeks are full of batting lessons and hard work. He's excited to be working with a new hitting instructor and maybe even a little excited about the prospect of a new team being formed around him and his closest friends. I'm so proud of my kid and his friends. They are such incredible young men and last night they were having the time of their lives. What a blessing!