By By ADAM FISHER / Niles Daily Star
When manager Dave Hopper got a roster of his 13-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars, he had to organize the team in a hurry.
He and his coaching staff had just two weeks to get the kids to play as a team before the Babe Ruth State Tournament.
The players did a good enough job coming together to take second place in the Michigan state tournament last weekend. Because Niles is hosting next weekend's Ohio Valley Regional Tournament at Thomas Memorial Stadium, however, the All-Stars got an automatic bid into the next round.
Shortstop Anthony Gladden said getting everyone to play well together was a challenge, but it was made easier because alot of the kids on the team knew each other from playing together.
Gladden said knowing most of his teammates on the All-Star team gave Niles an advantage over bigger cities. He said his team was closer, thus, played better together.
Niles, as a whole, is a great baseball town, Hopper said. That also helped the 13-year-olds.
Hopper said coaching is better because of the small-town atmosphere. The all-star coaches, for the most part, already know their players from playing during the season.
Practice was another key to bringing the all-star players together. The team practiced long and hard to get the 15 kids playing as a unit.
Hopper divided his team into two squads during practice and had them scrimmage against each other. Playing actual games, not just running drills, showed the players how one another played and got them used to working as a team, Hopper said.
When naming a team of All-Stars, not every player is going to play his natural position. This didn't affect Niles, Hopper said, because every kid on the team has played almost every position throughout the year.
Even though Niles had an automatic bid into the regionals, the All-Stars still wanted to win the state tournament. However, they are proud of second place, Hopper said.
Hopper, though, said the pressure still exists because the All-Stars still have to keep their guard up against even tougher competition next weekend.
The Niles 13-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars open the Ohio Valley Regional at 8 p.m. Thursday against Grosse Point South, the team that beat them in the state championship. The regional tournament is double-elimination.