During the summer, most kids can be found sleeping late or hitting the pool, but eleven young men took a different journey this summer.  No, it wasn’t camp, but just as dirty.  These eleven young men could be found shagging balls, taking BP, crow hopping and practicing “perfect fielding”.  They were preparing to head to the First Annual United States Travel Ball Association World Series Championships in Destin, Florida.

            After months of season play, these young men had qualified to play in the USTBA World Series.  With their bags packed and families in tow, they headed south for some great competition.  Facing numerous teams from across the Southeast, they prepared to battle one game at a time.  The boys were ready for the challenge because they had been preparing for this moment since early January.

The 11U North Gwinnett Bulldogs came out of pool play as the number 5 seed .  It was a tough up hill battle from there.  As luck would have it, play was postponed one day due to tornadic weather, allowing the team to rest and recoup.  As the storm clouds passed over, with sunny skies to follow so too did the Bulldogs and their game.  In the Semi-Final game the Bulldogs defeated the Sandy Plains Prowlers 8-6. The Dogs pounded out 11 hits and won a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. The Championship game saw the Bulldogs’ Alex Hartz pitch the game of the tournament. The opponent was the Louisiana State Champion, Capital City Cubs. Alex pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings before Brian Gropp came in to slam the door and bring home a 2-0 victory. Now another World Series Title resides in Suwanee.  The 11u North Gwinnett Bulldogs Black, USTBA World Series Champions!!