FROM STAFF REPORTS

The Chelsea Bad Boyz have mowed an undefeated trail of victories over the course of the past four weeks as they prepare for the state tournament beginning July 11 in Gardendale.

“We just pound and scrap.” Bad Boyz head coach Wade Dockery said. “We try to get the kids to pound the baseball with the bats and just play scrappy all over the field. This group has welcomed that approach with open arms.”

There’s no better way to describe the attitude of the Bad Boyz than to bring up a crucial play in their recent Area championship victory over Pell City. The Bad Boyz trailed Pell City 11-10 in the third inning. Dockery inserted outfielder Cooper Jonesy into the lineup and told him to “make a play.”

It didn’t take Jonesy long to answer his coach’s wishes. With dangerous Pell City batter Landon Jeffrey at the plate, he bombed a shot down the right field line. Jonesy covered about 35 yards of ground and made a heroic sliding catch to spark his teammates and receive a standing ovation from a packed house of Bad Boyz fans.

“I’ll have to say that was a huge turning point in that game,” Dockery said. “Jonesy got the whole team fired up.”

The Bad Boyz separate themselves from some of the other Chelsea All-Star teams with their bats.

“There is absolutely no question as to what age group hits the ball best in our ball park,” Chelsea Baseball board member Ashlie Harper said. “I don’t know what they are feeding those boys, but there isn’t an outfield fence in the county that’s safe from that group.”

The Bad Boyz aren’t shy about their number one goal this season, bringing Chelsea its first ever Dizzy Dean 6U State Championship.

“The kids know the challenge that lies ahead in the state tournament,” Chelsea coach Miguel McNamee said. “These little guys embrace that. They wake up every day and want to hit the field. It’s a tight nit group and the kids have that bad attitude in a good way.”