10U Fletcher team reaches OK Kids Baseball state championship game

Winning requires sacrifices.

For coach Hayden Herrin, it was running from one baseball diamond in Weatherford to another a couple weeks ago like one of his players.

“(My T-ball team) played at 4:30 and the championship game for 10U Gold started at 5 p.m,” Herrin said. “I tried running back and forth to keep it going.”

As long as it is a byproduct of winning and advancing in tournaments, Herrin will welcome logistical problems like that one. The Little League baseball teams he coached that frantic afternoon were two of four teams from Fletcher that qualified for the OK Kids Baseball Association state tournament.

Herrin said he considered his teams’ results in the state tournament, contested June 26-30, a resounding success. The biggest highlight came from the 10U Fletcher Gold team that finished as state runner-up.

“I couldn’t be more proud of these kids and everything that they’ve done,” Fletcher said. “Being this is our first year of 10U and we only have one kid that has to move up, the sky’s the limit for us.”

The 6U Fletcher T-ball team also played well, reaching the quarterfinals and earning a fifth-place finish. Fletcher won its first two games before Anadarko eliminated them in an exciting 13-12 game.

Herrin credited the many supportive parents around the teams for a successful year. Some are in assistant coach roles — a handy option when Herrin’s attention is split between two games — and others find a way to pitch in wherever there is a need.

“I’ve got great assistant coaches,” Herrin said. “I wouldn’t even call them assistants. They can take the reins at any place and any time and step right in whether I’m there or not.”

Although they fell short of the ultimate goal, Herrin’s 10U team was pleased with its runner-up finish and is poised for another good year next season. The team finished with a 32-9 record.

“Ultimately, of course, we wanted to win,” Herrin said. “Everybody wants to win. But runner-up in that scenario, and with the quality of the teams that were in that state tournament, I couldn’t be more happy.”