Union County’s 12U Little League softball team dream run comes to an end
By Joe Hathaway on Thursday, July 25th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — The Union County 12U Little League softball team saw its dream journey at the 2024 Little League Softball Northwest Region Tournament come to an end after consecutive losses, first to Idaho and then to Colorado.
Manager Kristen Farley said while the team is disappointed, they’re proud of their run and also of the challenges faced by the team, noting the impact of the California heat and the culture shock experienced by the players. “We’ve been hot before, but the heat down here is a little bit more. It just kind of absorbs into you. It’s pretty odd, pretty miserable,” Farley said. “A lot of the girls were in a little bit of a culture shock. California is definitely much different than our pretty nice secluded Eastern Oregon area.”
Despite the losses and end of their season Farley says the team is proud to have made it to such a prestigious stage. “We went out there on that field and I was like, just take this in for a second. There’s nobody else in our area that has done this in years at this age group,” she said. “We had to beat a lot of teams to get here, and some of these teams that we’ve seen, they didn’t have to beat many people to get here.”
Looking ahead, Farley remains optimistic about the team’s future. “Most of our girls will still be in the 12-year category next year,” she noted. “We’ve got three girls that will age out, but we’ve got some girls coming up from the 10-year age bracket that will be assets to the 12-year age bracket. So, we’re excited about next year.”
Despite the early exit, the team made the most of their time in California. After their loss to Idaho, the girls visited Santa Monica Pier and enjoyed California beaches, a new experience for many. “We’ve tried to keep things fun,” Farley said. “Today, we’re going to watch some softball. We all love softball.”
As the team prepares to return home, they carry with them the pride of their accomplishments and the anticipation of future successes. Farley summed up the season by saying, “They took their moment. They were all very sad and they were all down, but by the end of the night, they were having a good time in the pool. It was an awesome season.
