It was a journey two years in the making and the end result was priceless. It wasn’t just about success on the diamond, but developing a respect for each other that would resonate for the rest of their lives.
Traveling across the country to Cooperstown, N.Y., and playing at Cooperstown Dreams Park from Aug. 2-6 as part of the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame Invitational Tournaments, the Malibu Tide 12-and-under (12U) youth baseball team went 6-3 while advancing to the round of 16, and finished tied for ninth overall among 104 teams.
Their goals were simply to “reach Thursday and have the experience of a lifetime,” according to Coach Keith Meadows. The Malibu Tide accomplished both in a manner that Meadows felt will serve them well as they become teenagers and continue their baseball careers.
“It was our dream to go to Cooperstown when we started back in 2013. It was two years of blood, guts and tears,” Meadows said. “I wanted them to learn how to hate to lose more than you like to win. We fought for every inch. They played with so much heart, it was amazing.”
Meadows, co-coach Patrick Lynch and Malibu Tide players Carson Baer, Bowen Brock, Jake DiFede, Trumann Gettings, Reef Graham, Jared Hughes, Russell Kish, Liam Lynch, Treye Meadows, Ryan Ross, George Roth and Jake Sirkus represented the Malibu community with pride, determination and admiration as they came together as one family.
Each boy contributed in a productive way throughout the tournament. Each player pitched at least one inning. Each boy got a hit. As a team, they hit more than 20 home runs. But it wasn’t about the stats and how each player did individually.
Disregard who hit the most home runs or who tossed the most strikeouts. Rather, it was about the ultimate team effort displayed by 12 boys, who shared the common goal of being there for one another.
“I was beyond proud and gushing with pride. It was an amazing feeling,” Meadows said. “Every boy loved it. The kids were caring, lovable and impossible not to like.
“Patrick [Lynch] and I always talk about how these are our sons. Each one of them was our son on the field. You want to cry for the enjoyment and the happiness you felt seeing how each boy played. Every boy contributed. Every boy did anything we asked of them and what each player asked of them. We became a family, and they became brothers.”
The idea of coming to Cooperstown as a team evolved two years ago when Meadows and fellow Malibu Little League coach Geoff Stern decided to form the Tide. Meadows’ son, Treye, and Stern’s son, Joshua, helped bring players aboard who had an interest in playing.
The Tide competed in more than 20 tournaments over the past two years building for Cooperstown. They won a few tournaments and placed second at a prestigious USSSA tournament in Chino Hills, Calif.
In addition, many of the boys play in Malibu Little League, were recently on the 11-12 All-Star team and attend school together.
Meadows and Lynch held a mini “two-week boot camp” for preparation prior to Cooperstown. They practiced as a team every other day at Lupin Hill in Agoura.
“They came together during boot camp,” said Meadows. “Some of the boys may have not liked how it happened, but by the time they got to Cooperstown they understood what we did.”
The tournament began slowly as the travel-weary Tide lost its first two games in pool play, 6-2 and 4-3. But they bounced back with resiliency and defeated their next four opponents in rather convincing fashion 14-2, 5-1, 16-0 and 14-1.
The Tide was seeded 28th in the playoff championship bracket after allowing 2.33 runs per game, third best in the tournament.
After receiving two byes, the Tide defeated Team Pursuit of Florida, 15-3, avenging an earlier loss to them, and upset the No. 5 seeded team, Olney Buccaneers of Maryland, 8-7, in a game that Cooperstown locals described as an instant classic.
Upon reaching the round of 16 and accomplishing their goal of playing on Thursday, the Tide lost a heartbreaker, 14-13, to the Rascal Baseball Club of Nevada.
Nine games in five days, bonding time while living in barracks on site, and a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame was everything that Meadows could have asked for.
“They played for each other,” Meadows said. “When someone put down a bunt to move a runner, that was treated no different than the next kid who hit a home run. They had each other’s back. They fought for their brothers and we won as a family. Hopefully they will remember this experience forever and ever.”