West Bladen’s Knights travel to Leland Saturday to begin the defense of their North Carolina Dixie Pre-Majors Baseball State Championship.
Coach Kim Cain’s Knights have won three straight State Pre-Majors Championships – winning the title in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and traveling to the Dixie Pre-Majors World Series in all of those seasons.
West Bladen opens the tournament at North Brunswick High School Saturday at 1 p.m. against Columbus County. Duplin County and Brunswick County are the other teams in the State Tournament.
The Knights played a 13-game summer league schedule that was abbreviated by rain and other conflicts but still posted a 7-4-2 record.
Coach Cain feels that pitching will be the key to winning the tournament and is expecting rising senior Trent West to start the first game. “After Trent there is no particular order,” said Cain. “But Ian Sykes, Trey Storms, Scott Bowen and Jarrett Williams could see time on the mound.”
The remainder of the West Bladen roster includes Jonathan Ashworth, Jalen Drew, Dalton Pait, Hunter Pait, Jonathan Robinson, Caleb Sholar, Logan West, Cody Garner, T. J. Guyton and Brandon Strange.
“We will go down there Saturday and give it our best shot,” said Coach Cain.
The Pre-Majors World Series is back in Guntersville, AL this year just as it was in 2013 and 2015.
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