ALABASTER – Two of Alabaster’s own are playing in the 2019 Little League World Series – Intermediate Division taking place in Livermore, California, from July 28-Aug. 4.

Drake McBride and Tucker Arrington, who are both 13 and play on the McCalla Little League team, embarked on the journey on July 25 that not many kids get to experience. The boys, along with their team, boarded a flight and headed to California to compete against teams from the United States and abroad.

Winning the 2019 Intermediate Division Southeast Championship earned the McCalla Little League team a spot in the World Series tournament. The team is playing in a double elimination tournament against five other U.S. regional champs for a spot in the World Series tournament. Six international teams are also battling it out for a spot in the World Series tourney.

As of Tuesday, July 30, the McCalla team, under head coach Adam Stacey, is faring well in the tourney. On July 28, they played the East Region and won 11-2. On July 29, they played the Southwest Region and took them down 20-8. Their next game will be against the Central Region on Wednesday, July 31.

In the World Series, a U.S. team will face off against an international team to win it all.

Drake McBride and Tucker Arrington started playing T-ball at 4 years old and have been in love with the game ever since. Drake McBride plays first base, outfield and is a pitcher, while Tucker Arrington is a catcher, pitcher and plays first and third bases.

“It’s his sport,” said David McBride, Drake’s father. “He’s played basketball and football, but baseball is what he loves.”

Although he’s playing on the McCalla team, McBride said his son developed his skills on the Warriors travel ball team under the leadership of head coach Scott Brakefield and assistant coach Andy Reid.

“He played five years with the Warriors in Alabaster and that’s where he really got a solid foundation,” McBride said.

During his best game, Drake McBride hit three home runs. In a different game, he hit three triples in one game. As seventh graders, Drake McBride and Tucker Arrington also played together on the eighth-grade baseball team at Thompson Middle School.

Tucker Arrington’s career highlights include hitting three home runs during a baseball tournament and being named to several all-tournament team for his hitting and pitching. He has also played on a team at the Excel Baseball Academy in Oxford. Mark Arrington, Tucker’s father, said his son aspires to play ball in college.