La Grande Juniors Baseball All-Stars Win State Championship
By Joe Hathaway on Wednesday, July 26th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE — A year after falling just short of a state title, the La Grande Little League Juniors All-Star Baseball team are now champions of Oregon.
La Grande defeated Murray Hill (Beaverton) 9-0 at the Juniors All-Stars Championship game in Prineville on Monday, July 25.
“Lots of kids on the team this year were on the team last year that lost the title game,” said Shane Frederick, head coach of the Juniors All-Stars. “They had a sour taste in their mouth and they were determined to win state this year.”
Behind a dominant pitching staff and the defense behind them, La Grande cruised to the state title and now heads to represent Oregon at the West Regionals Juniors Tournament, which will be played in Bend.
The Regionals include the state champions of 12 western states, plus a team from the host city of Bend.
“These teams are the best of the best in the west, so we know it’s going to be tough but we’re a confident bunch.” said Frederick.
The tournament begins next week, and La Grande plays its first game against Utah on August 2.
The winner of the West Regionals punches its ticket to the Little League Juniors World Series, which will be played in Michigan.Frederick says his guys are ready for the challenge. “Our 12 guys get better every day, and they trust the process, so we’re excited and confident heading into regionals.”
