The boys of summer

School is out for the summer.

But the baseball field at Eufaula High School has been busy lately. That’s because the Eufaula Pre-Majors team has been playing several games to prepare for the district tournament at the end of this month.

The team includes 15 and 16-year-old, or players that will range from freshmen to juniors next season. Many of the players will suit up for Eufaula High next season. 

The Eufaula Pre-Majors team has fared well this summer. The local team swept a double-header against the Enterprise Pre-Majors and split a pair of games against the Ozark Pre-Majors. Eufaula also defeated Opp’s Pre-Majors though the team lost to Troy’s Majors.

“Playing pre-majors not only gets these younger guys more experience during the summer but also helps the team chemistry by the guys being around and playing together as much as possible,” Eufaula coach Roy Johns said.

“Coach (Nathan) Black (the Eufaula High varsity baseball coach) has a certain goal in mind for the EHS baseball program, and what we are doing this summer is basically building on the foundation he has started for a winning program. The more these boys play together the better they’ll become and their play on the field should reflect that.” 

Several players are staying extra busy this summer. Tyler Crouch, Dakota Maldonado and Bryan Bratcher are taking part in the Dixie Future Stars Wooden Bat Tournament this weekend at Old Creek Town Park, where they will play with several dozen of the best baseball players in the Southeast. Eufaula will also host the district tournament June 26-July 1 at Old Creek Town Park.

Team members include:

Crouch, Bratcher, Maldonado, Zack (Rudy) Stafford, Tanner Sutton, Sam Waters, Tanner Bickley, Jeremy Franklin, Jeremy Greene, Jim Johnson, Ramon Lewis, Nick Albright, Tyler Robinson, Cody (Chop) Palmer and Gavin Bradley.

Johns and Jimmy Simmons are the coaches.