By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

HELENA–The Helena 6U National All-Star Baseball team recently competed in the Birmingham Metro Baseball All-Star Tournament and finished as tournament runner-ups in a crowded field.

Twenty-one total teams competed in the tournament and after pool play was completed, Helena competed in the gold bracket with 10 other teams.

The Huskies played in 11 games total that comprised of four games in pool play and seven games in bracket play, where they posted a 9-2 overall record.

All of the players for the 6U team were from Helena and were chosen by their coaches in the spring to compete on the all-star team.

The 12 players who were chosen to play for the Helena 6U All-Star team were CJ Horn, Kaid Rigdon, Andrew Burns, John Paul Schultz, Jack Pitts, Jack Jensen, Lane Harris, Tyler West, Hudson Campbell, KJ Underwood, Cole Davis and Davis Kelley.

The Huskies were led by head coach Josh West who has coached youth baseball and softball teams in the past.

West noted that when kids are playing at this age, it’s important to help them learn the fundamentals and sportsmanship of the game and he was proud of the way his team competed in the tournament.

“Coaching the kids at this age is all about helping the kids continue to improve on the game, learning to play different positions, good team work, sportsmanship and hard work,” said West.

Helena fell to Trussville in the championship game of the tournament on Tuesday, June 16 earning them the runner-up award.