USCL vs. Upstate Mavericks

A few weeks ago, the family headed up to Gaffney (all the way up in the upstate of South Carolina, at the very tippy-top of the state) for a baseball tournament at Limestone College. USC-Lancaster played a team called the Upstate Mavericks. Here are a few photos from the day.

Trey leaning against the fence, talking with us before warming up for the game.

Trey and Chris warming up before the game.

I love watching Trey warm up and take infield. He is so focused on what he's doing. He is totally in the zone.

I shouldn't love this picture as much as I should. It looks like he's dancing. But when you think about it--Trey is incredibly graceful and quick on his feet. On first base, his movements are so fluid and rhythmic, watching Trey play is like watching a dancer perform. It's just that the stages are different.

Ah, the requisite "Trey in the Fence Diamond" photo. I just can't seem to blog about Trey without having one. I love it! It's like the most appropriate frame ever.

Trey at first base, taking infield.

Even though this is "just" taking infield, Trey gives it his all. In this photo (one of my favorites), he scoops the ball from the dirt and throws it to second base.

In the next set of photos, I'd like to illustrate something called the "Trey shuffle", which is what Trey does after he's taken a cut at the ball, or steps away from home plate because he doesn't like the ball that was thrown:

Trey watched the pitcher throw a ball into the dirt, so he...

...backs away from the plate, swings his bat a couple of times...

...readjusts his batting gloves...

...and gets back into his stance. I love it!

Trey ended up getting walked at that at-bat.

Ha ha, he's looking at me like, "Really, Josie? Another picture? You're as bad as Grandma now!" Yes, Trey, I am. AND PROUD OF IT. You only get these moments every once in a while, so you've got to capture them when you can.

Hope to see you again soon, Number 26! I'll be there with my camera.

Toodles!

College Gameday (Baseball Edition)

Well, folks, the day finally came.

Trey officially became a college baseball player on Saturday, September 13th, which, coincidentally enough, was his 19th birthday.

As is the norm for Trey, he was not thrilled about having his picture taken. This time, his Grandma Toni and I were both on site to be his personal paparazzi. Hey--he has his own entourage, so why not?

He was, however, generous enough to take a photo with his sister, and later, some of his friends jumped in, but that is another post! It was really sweet to find out from Trey's girlfriend Anna that he talks about her all the time. Trey and Cathryn have a special bond.

Trey taking some infield practice. I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but I saw Trey putting out the first base bag, making sure *his* base was taken care of. I'm telling y'all, they'll have to pry that position away from his dead, cold hands.

The team "bringing it in" before the game gets started.

Trey was also determined to get his old number back, 26, although he said that he would have been happy with 17 as well, which was his Legion number, as well as his Uncle Jason's.

Warming up to take the plate.

Disgusted because he was hit by a pitch on his first at bat! He wanted to hit the ball!

Trey is such a phenomenal first baseman. His footwork is like no one else's that I've seen. Unfortunately, he didn't get to see a lot of action at his base this weekend. A few more shots of him in the field:

Trey got him out! Unfortunately, at Trey's next at bat, he was given the "hit and run" sign, which basically means that you need to sacrifice yourself to move the other players over. Trey, ever being the total player that he is, did just that, and didn't see much else action on Saturday.

Sunday was a different story. Trey's first at bat brought him a double! Here he is running to first base.

On second base. Prior to this, the whole family was cheering and I was screaming "Run, boy! Run!"

The team congratulating him on a job well done after he crossed home plate.

It was amazing to watch him play college baseball. Sure, it's a brand-new program, but he's waited for a long time to see this happen. Watching him with his teammates is so much fun. Trey is so confident and at ease with himself out there, and he looks like he's found a place where he can belong.

Which, when you come right down to it, isn't that what we all want?

Congrats, Trey-Bo. We're keeping our fingers crossed for you in Florence next weekend.

Toodles!

Greener Pastures

I've struggled with how to write this particular post. I've played with witty opening lines, earnest heartfelt beginnings, and nothing seems right, so I'm just going to come right out and say it.

Trey has played his last baseball game in Georgetown County.

For Trey, it's a good thing, because he's moving on to bigger and better things at USC Lancaster. For me and Richie, it's bittersweet, because while we're happy for him, we're going to miss driving just a few miles to see him play. On July 24th and 25th, Trey played in Goose Creek and Waccamaw.

I'm not a great photographer, and I'm even less proficient with action shots. But, I think these are the pictures that best represent Trey's last couple of nights as a Georgetown player.


Wow--just can't get more patriotic than that, can you? The American Flag, baseball, and Trey's is wearing red, white and blue. This was taken when Georgetown Post 114 were taking infield at Goose Creek, and I love the way the diamond in the fence framed Trey's stance. This is a boy (um, young man) that takes his game seriously.

This is the shot that excited Richie. Trey's taking a big swing that led to a double. Normally, when something like that happens, I'm jumping and screaming, but since I was trying to get a picture, I just had to let my heart pound. I have to agree, though, this is a good picture, even if it is a bit blurry. Trey looks like he should be on the cover of Sports Illustrated with that swing!

Now this is my favorite shot. This is right after he scored his double, and he's waiting to run to third. Now, I don't really know anything about baseball, but I hear people talking, and they say that not only is an excellent first baseman, he's also an incredibly smart base runner. There's so much to the strategy of baseball that I don't understand. Look at the joy on his face! That's a handsome young man, right there. And just to think, we knew him when.

Trey enjoying some camaraderie with his fellow ballplayers. The team constantly talks to each other on the field and the opposing team when they play. Gosh, but he looks sharp in that shot. Sometimes, it's hard to remember that he's going to be 19 in September. I still think of him as that little 8-year old I met when Richie and I had first started dating. This picture reminds me that those days are long gone.

I love taking shots of Trey batting. He looks so in control, so...ready. This was taken at Waccamaw, at Post 114's last home game. I've never seen anyone as dedicated to baseball as Trey. He lives and breathes the game, and it fill my heart up to see him do great things on the field, because we all know how great it is to watch your kids excel at something they love.

Running to first base. God help the player that gets in his way! Trey charges the plate with incredible authority, and has no qualms about mowing someone over if they get in his way. The ruthlessness of the game is so exciting!

I don't always understand baseball, but I do love watching Trey play the game he loves. He's fascinating on the field, and his footwork is amazing. He makes it look very easy, but he puts lots of hard work into making it look easy. Richie and I will miss watching him play locally, but we also can't wait to watch him play his first college game, either!

Toodles!

Back at the Old Ballpark

Trey is the kind of kid (it's so strange to call him that, because he's not truly a kid, but he's not an adult, either. Sheesh--now I've reminded myself of a Britney Spears song, and truly, is that the kind of thing you want running around in your head?) who would play baseball year all year long if he could. In fact, all through high school, he did. He played on at least three travel ball teams that played throughout the fall: the Bandits, the Stars, and the Cougars. When he began playing for the Varsity Team at Georgetown High School, he finished with travel ball and began playing Junior Legion in the summer time. After graduating high school, he moved on to American Legion, which is Junior Legion's big brother.

Trey's first year on American Legion started out a little rocky. As a newcomer to the team, he had to work (harder than he works already) to prove to the coaches that he was worthy of the position he wanted. Once they let him on the field, he was such an asset at first base that he never left it. They were a young team (mostly freshly-graduated high school seniors), and yet they went to the American Legion State Championships. This year, the team has almost the exact same line-up, and they seem intent on going back to the State Championships.

But I told you all that to tell you this-- Georgetown American Legion does not play at Mike Johnson Park. They play at the Waccamaw High School baseball field, so Trey was pretty excited (not that he'd EVER let anyone see) to be able to play at his "home" field.


When it was time to get the field in order, Trey was the first player out there. Any surprises that he took a bag straight to first base? Trey is so awesome that I imagine he practically dares someone else to touch his base. You can't see it in the photo, but first base is almost directly in line with the MVP sign that bears Trey's name.


Trey taking infield before the game begins. He makes it look so easy, so effortless, but I think that's a testament to how hard he works at his sport.



The team-- this a great group of guys. They really came together as a team last year, and at the scrimmages in Florence a few weekends ago, it was obvious that they hadn't lost that feeling. There are a couple of new players on the team, but the veterans have really taken them in.

Trey in the "on-deck" circle, taking a few practice swings:





In the batter's box:

Since the season began at the beginning of June, all of the games have been at night. We were even blessed with mild weather in late May at the Florence scrimmage tournament. But this game at Mike Johnson park was at one in the afternoon, and we're in the middle of a heatwave! We were all sapped of our strength in the stands, and certainly the boys were on the field. We ended up losing the game to Florence 4-0, and Trey ended up 1 for 3 at bat.

One thing that really hit me while we were at the game was that, unless Trey plays in another Alumni game, this will be his last time playing at Mike Johnson Park.

Though he's moving on to bigger things at USC Lancaster, it was a bitter pill for us to swallow.

Toodles!

Bittersweet

Despite the weather, it was a great weekend. The 1988 Georgetown High School baseball team (state champs!) had their 20th reunion, and they were scheduled to play a Georgetown High School alumni team. This is a big deal for our family, because Richie's brother Jason was on the 1988 team, and Trey was asked to play on the alumni team.

First things first--we finally got a picture of Trey's name on the wall at Mike Johnson Park.

Woo-hoo! Doesn't that look good? He worked so hard for that honor. I wanted to put flashing lights around it, and maybe hire a dancing leprechaun, but Trey thought it might be in bad taste. Well, it is his name after all, so I guess I needed to honor his wishes.

When we got to the park, Cathryn immediately wanted to go out on the field. The first place Trey took her was first base. The second was his name on the sign. Then they threw a baseball back and forth for a little while.

I only knew a few guys that were on the '88 team, but it was fun watching Richie and his parents say hello to everyone. I've known since this reunion weekend was announced that it was going to be hard on them, so I give them major points just for showing up. Not that they would have been anywhere else in the world this weekend. After a luncheon in their honor, the '88 players took the field for practice, and they were all so good-natured about it. They were clearly having fun, and so was the crowd.

What I really enjoyed was watching Richie enjoy the practice. As we sat in the stands, he was clearly nostalgic over his high school baseball days. When we got home, I dug out an old video tape of Richie as a senior taking batting practice and catching at the Stratford game. I loved watching Richie do what he loves, but inwardly I was so happy that his fashion sense had improved since his high school days. Folks, he was wearing cut-off orange sweatpants. And not normal orange, either, but bright hunting orange. You wouldn't miss him in the dark. :)

Sunday was...emotional. Trey was on the Alumni team, so we all got to hoot and holler and cheer when his name was announced, but when they announced the '88 team, the mood completely changed. They had Trey present Jason's State Championship ring and uniform to Richard and Cathy. My heart was pounding, my eyes filled with tears, and I felt so helpless. All I could do was cling to Richie and try to be strong for him, because the pain of losing his brother cuts him much deeper than it cuts me. I can share his hurt, his anger, his confusion, but I don't know the pain of losing a sibling.

Once the teams hit the field, though, all our moods lifted. Cathy broke out her cowbell, and ever time the '88 team or Trey did something great, she'd shake it. It really was very funny. It was obvious, though, that the teams were having the most fun, ribbing one another on and off the field. The final score was 10-5 in favor of the Alumni team, but really, they were all winners.

Toodles!