Reposted from LoudounNOW written by Renns Greene (Original Article)

The Upper Loudoun Little League Juniors baseball team won the state championship on Monday at Fireman’s Field in Purcellville, after qualifying for the tournament by hosting it.

They will next compete in the Southeast Region Tournament in Bridgewater, July 28 – Aug. 1. They’ll compete against other state champions from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

The team previously might not even have been in the state tournament—they lost the qualifying District 16 championship game to Loudoun South Little League, but to get an even number of teams for the state championship tournament organizers tapped them to qualify as the host team. And the team came alive for the state tournament, routing all three teams they faced.

“Our bats were on fire the whole time,” Manager Jim Kennedy said. “The offense had a slow start and then all of a sudden, the bats were just catching. The guys didn’t stop hitting.”

The team defeated Huguenot 15-1, Northumberland 13-0, and, on Monday, Warwick 14-3. That avenged district champions Loudoun South, which defeated Abingdon 4-0 in the first round but fell to Warwick 2-1.

“We knew what we had at the beginning of the year. We drafted on forbats and pitching and catching, and we had all that,” Kennedy said. “The guys just started getting their bats.”

It will be the first time Kennedy, who has been coaching for 13 years, will lead a team to the regional championship.

“This is going to be an experience,” he said. “I’ve been waiting.”

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