By Debbie Hall
The Dixie Boys Baseball, Inc. is set to host its 65th annual Virginia State tournament July 9 -12 in South Hill, as teams from throughout Virginia gather for a double elimination tournament.
In addition to being crowned the state champion, the winner will earn a birth to the Dixie Boys World Series in Sterlington, LA to represent the State of Virginia, according to head coach Brian Jessup.
This will be the first time Patrick County has fielded a team in the state tournament in more than a decade.
The team of 14u all-stars “are eager to make their appearance in South Hill and happy to represent Patrick County in the tournament,” Jessup said, and added that the team begins tournament play on Friday, July 9, when they play Buckingham County.
“We’re super excited to participate in the Dixie Boys tournament,” Jessup said. “Patrick County has been absent for a very long time with Dixie Boys, and our team is honored to have this opportunity.”
Jessup added that Dixie Boys Baseball, Inc. was founded in 1957 in Alexandria, Louisiana. The mission of the program is to provide a recreational outlet for as many participants (age 13-19) as possible. The program currently operates in eleven southeastern states and attracts over 20,000 players. Divisions include Junior Dixie Boys (13u), Dixie Boys (14u), Pre-majors (15u) and Dixie Majors (16-19u).
Patrick County has been an active member of the Dixie Youth Baseball organization for decades but hasn’t franchised a Dixie Boys team in many years.
Although Dixie Youth and Dixie Boys aren’t affiliated with each other and have completely separate governing bodies, the two sister organizations work hand in hand to fulfill their missions of providing exception baseball to its participants.
Team members include Lucas Taylor, Easton Harris, Noah Jessup, Chance Corns, David Lawson, Hunter Pendleton, Stuart Callahan, Calvin Lancaster, Gavin Fain, Avery Brintle, Jackson Horton and Jackson Callahan.
“We are blessed with an outstanding group of young men who have worked extremely hard since they first came together in 2017,” Jessup said. “They are fantastic ambassadors for Patrick County and promote our county so well.”
Joining Jessup, assistant coaches are DJ Lawson, Rob Taylor, Chad Corns and Justin Lancaster.
