Pictured, left to right, is Luke Dotson (Lake City, Florida); Anderson Everett (Thomasville), Connor Cloer (Ellaville); Chip Cooper (Sylvester); Dawson Mock (Mayo, Florida); Jaxson Haire (Camilla); Matthew Dumas (Lake City, Florida); Max Windham (Cairo); Jaxon Smith (Jennings, Florida); Aidan Hampton (Jacksonville, Florida); and Cole Whatley (Moultrie).

Staff report

The Diamond Kings Sports Academy (DKSA) Elite 10U major youth baseball team, based in Thomasville, recently won the USSSA Global World Series in Orange Beach, Alabama, defeating the Topline Barons (Baytown, Texas), 11-1, in the championship game.

Anderson Everett of Thomasville pitched a complete game in the championship matchup, giving up only one run on four hits, with four strikeouts and no walks. At the plate, Luke Dotson of Lake City, Florida, and Jaxon Smith of Jennings, Florida, led DKSA Elite each with two hits and two RBIs. Matthew Dumas of Lake City, Florida, added a hit and three RBIs to pace the DKSA Elite attack. The team posted an 8-0 record at the World Series.

The team is comprised of elite youth 10U baseball players in South Georgia and North Florida. The team trains in Thomasville at the Diamond King Sports Academy under the leadership of J.J. Jones and was coached by head coach John Everett (Thomasville), assistant coach Jeff Windham (Cairo) and assistant coach Josh Smith (Jennings, Florida).

DKSA Elite 10U finished the season as the No. 2 ranked USSSA major team in Georgia as well as the No. 20 ranked USSSA major team in the USA and concluded its season with a record of 45-15, including winning six tournament championships (of 12 entered) while playing in the highest competitive level of USSSA, Triple Crown, Suncoast and PSDS affiliations.

For the season, the offense was led by Connor Cloer (Ellaville), who batted .509 with three home runs and 50 RBIs. Cloer launched a grand slam in the semifinals of the USSSA Global World Series to propel DKSA Elite past Team Louisiana, 8-6. He was an outstanding defensive player and also pitched 43.1 innings on the mound, striking out 30 batters.

Dotson batted .484 with two home runs and 61 RBIs. Dotson anchored the 3-spot all year in the batting lineup and played a tremendous defensive first base.

Leadoff hitter Dawson Mock (Mayo, Florida) was electric at the top of the order batting .471 with one home run, 37 RBIs, 91 runs and 96 stolen bases. Mock was also a leading pitcher hurling 51.1 innings pitched with a 2.104 ERA. Speedy center fielder Dumas batted .471 with 37 RBIs, 68 runs scored, and 80 stolen bases, and used his effective change up pitch to become a late game closer pitching 18 innings and posting a 3.333 ERA.

Jaxson Haire (Camilla) was the team’s primary catcher and clean-up hitter, batting .413 with one home run and 56 RBIs, and also was a reliable starting pitcher hurling 48.1 innings, while striking out a team-leading 51 batters with an ERA of 3.476.

Everett took the mound to battle many of the toughest teams DKSA Elite faced and led the team with 56.1 innings while striking out 46 batters. He had an ERA of 3.071. In addition to pitching, Everett was the team’s primary shortstop and batted .400 with 50 RBIs, 72 runs and 69 stolen bases.

Hard-hitting Cole Whatley (Moultrie) overcame a mid-season broken wrist that limited his play to bat .400 with one home run and 30 RBIs and showed his versatility playing third base, catcher and outfielder.

Outfielder Chip Cooper (Sylvester) went on a late-season power surge closing with two home runs and batting .354 with 29 RBIs, 44 runs and 38 stolen bases.

Versatile Smith played every defensive position on the field effectively and got hot late in the year, driving in 37 runs while scoring 36 runs and ending the year with an OBP of .379.

Max Windham (Cairo) also got hot late in the year at the plate driving in 35 RBIs and scoring 39 runs. He became a key starting pitcher with 22.2 innings of work, striking out 18 batters, and posted a strong ERA of 1.059, which was the team’s lowest.