The Memphis Tiger 9s played in the 10 AAA World Series looking for some games to help prepare for the Elite 24.  The Tigers started play after taking a 9 day break (that included no practice). The Tigers would draw some good competition early dropping the first 3 pool games but getting better every game. The Tigers were starting to come back to form in the third pool game. The Tigers were beating the #1 ranked 10 AAA Hurricanes 6-5 going into the 5th. The Hurricanes added 1 and tied the game 6-6 going into the 6th. The Hurricanes brought in their ace and held the Tigers scoreless in the bottom of the 6th after plating 6 runs in the top to take a huge lead and secure the victory. The Hurricane Coaches complimented the boys and told the coaches this 9 yr old team could play with anyone.

The Third pool play loss would drop the Tigers to the Consolation Bracket. The Tiger coaches entered this tournament looking for a couple of good quality, games. The Tigers got just that playing in 7 games !!! The Tigers were determined to finish strong. The Tigers did just that and won 4 games in a row to claim the 10 AAA Consolation Championship (no small feat for a 9yr old team). These Tigers are battle tested and will hit the practice field hard to get ready for Orlando, FL.

Anyone who doubted this group has been proven wrong, as these boys set their goals and made their Dreams come true.  Hardwork , Determination, Teamwork and Belief in each other !!!

Great job Tigers !! 

click chart for full view

SKIP SHIPMAN WINS TIGER 50/50 RAFFLE !!!!    CONGRATS SKIP... WINNING TICKET SOLD BY HAYDEN LEATHERWOOD.....

It was alot of work ... and some fun ... for Memphis Tiger Parents, Friends and Family working the O'Reilly 200 Craftsman Truck Races at Memphis MotorSports Park June 27-28, 2008

Darryl Worley rocks  the  Memphis Motorsports park after  the race

Darryl Worley with Memphis Tiger fans after the concert	Richard Baugh with his high school buddy Darryl Worley	Darryl Worley signs autograph for Haley Baugh	Darryl Worley with Frank, Preston & Garrett

The Memphis Tigers played in the FCA World Series this week-end and played up in the 10 yr old division. The Tigers played up trying to compete with older, stronger and faster boys in order to prepare for the Elite 24 in Orlando, FL. The Tigers found just that !!  The Tigers faced some of the most experienced Pitchers they have seem all year. The Tiger Coaches also had to bring out the David vs Goliath as they took the field against the hard hitting Mississippi Badgers who towered over Tigers.

The Tigers would go 3-0 in pool play, pulling a come from behind victory over the Arlington Tigers 7-6. The Tiger bats got hot in their next 2 pool games scoring 30 runs and only allowing 2. This would give the Tigers #1 seed.

The Tiger would face The Collierville Reds who were fresh off a State Championship weekend, where they had brought home the gold. The Reds were looking to advance and brought the best control pitcher the Tigers have seem this season. The Reds Pitcher was able to change speed at will and kept the Tiger bats off balance most of the game. The Tigers Defense held strong while the bats did just enough to take a lead and keep it. The Tigers Pitching Staff used 3 pitchers (Franklin Hefflinger, Preston Trainor, Hugh Fisher) who complemented each other greatly. The Tigers Brought in the big lefty (Hugh Fisher) to close the game and seal the Victory. 4-3 Tigers

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

ARLINGTON TIGERS VS. MEMPHIS TIGERS 

The Championship Game brought good solid baseball by both teams.Hayden Leatherwood would get the call and take the mound for the Tigers. The Tigers took a 1 run lead in the first and added another 1 run across the plate in the second. Arlington got hot in the 3rd and took a 1 run lead in the 3rd. 3-2 Arlington. The Tigers would get to see the curve ball as the Arlington Tiger pitcher would mix it in with his hard fastball. The Tigers bats got hot with a flury and plated 4 runs to take a 7-3 lead. Arlington would battle right back and plate 2 more runs to close the gap. The Tigers would lean on Big Papa ( DJ ROBINSON) to close the game. DJ took the mound and never threw a ball in the bottom of the sixth. DJ got the lead on every batter with 2 strikes. DJ would get a ground out, strike out and a ground out to 2nd to end the game. Hayden and DJ were only behind on 2 hitters the whole game in the pitch count, Hayden came back and put 1 of those in the books.   TIGERS 7-5 CHAMPIONS !!!!

Highlights : TIGERS WIN AROUND THE HORN SKILLS COMPETITION !!  

 Every Tiger player taking the mound !!!! 11 different pitchers !!!

Preston Trainor hitting to the warning track 3 times

Bam Bam (The Gun) Cochran throwing out runners from behind the plate & Game winning hit against Arlington in last inning with 2 outs !!!  7-6 Tigers !!!!

Hayden Leatherwood driving in the winning run (4-3 against the REDS) Solid Pitching

Steven Kendrick going 5 of 5 Monday night 

Solid defense play from Garret Baugh & Logan Cain shutting off the left side of the field !!

The Tigers team work and confidence in each other has put this team on a new level !!  Every Tiger crossed the plate and made huge plays to contribute in their success. Some teams will never play in a World Series Championship Game. These Young men have WON ONE !!!!!!!

GO TIGERS !!!!!

The Tigers won every pool game and beat every team in the tournament to claim #1 seed in the Championship game. The format only brought #1 & #2 back to play for the West Tennessee State title.

The crazy format brought the Tigers back early to play the Germantown Giants in a pool game before the Championship game. The Giants were fresh off a 1st place Championship Tournament in Omaha, Nebraska and fighting for a spot in the State Championship game. The Tigers were looking for that first win against the Giants. The Giants pulled off upsets over the Tigers in their previous 2 meetings. The Tigers jumped out front and held on for the Victory. D J Robinson would strike out the last Giant batter with runners on to preserve the win. Tiger 9-7

The Tigers were non-existant in the Championship game. It seemed that Line Drive was at batting practice as they found every hole on the field. 6 looping hits right over 2nd base. The Tigers were crushing the ball as well, just every ball found a Line Drive glove to fall in. The Tigers had beaten Line Drive the day before in tough ball game 9-8. These 2 teams are capable of scoring runs at will when their bats get hot. These 2 teams have pushed each other all year and the Tigers are a better Ball team thanks to Line Drive. Congrats to Line Drive on the victory!!!

TIGERS BEAT COLLIERVILLE 15-1 , LINE DRIVE 9-8 , COYOTE'S 19-7, GIANTS 9-7 IN POOL PLAY.

Tigers were in the finals again !!!!

Go Tigers!!!!!

Fathers Day at Jackson TN Tournament

The Tigers traveled to Jackson, Tn and went 3-1 on the weekend. The Memphis area had a strong showing on Father's day weekend with 3 teams finshing in the top 3 at Jackson and the G-town Giants bringing home the Gold from Omaha, Nebraska.  The Memphis area is proving itself as a very competitive Baseball area. 

The Tigers didn't bring a Championship home for the Dad's, like  they did the Mom's.  However, The Tigers Learned they are true Champions. The Tigers have reached the status that a victory against the Tiger team is a season accomplishment.  When you reach this status as a ball club you know you're an ELITE CHAMPION BALL CLUB!!!  Every team the Tigers face will be bringing their ACE and looking to claim a win against the Tigers. 

Congrats to the Travelers for a Flawless weekend going 5-0 and bringing home the Diamond Jaxx Championship.  Great work Coach Edwards and The Travelers !!!  Way to play Ball !! 

Congrats GIANTS for getting Memphis the respect it deserves!!! 

		TIGER DADS WARM THEIR SONS UP BEFORE EVERY GAME ON THE WEEKEND.
		>   TIGERS PREPARE FOR FINAL STRETCH !!!

TIGERS WIN 5TH CHAMPIONSHIP !!!

The Memphis Tigers took a true 2 week break before practicing a couple of days to prepare for the second half of the season. The Tigers would travel to West Memphis for a  (Double Point)  NIT Tournament.  

The Tigers new there would be some rust to knock off after not playing or practicing for 2 weeks. The Tigers got to be 9 year olds for 2 weeks.  Swimming, fishing, visiting family (and some couch time for Coach).  The Tigers enjoyed their break and were ready to get back to work.

The Tigers would open up with Paragould Renegades. The Renegades saw a rested & Hungry Tiger team. The Tigers leaped out front and never looked back. Tigers 18-3 

The Tigers played back to back and the Strikezone Stix won the toss. That was all the Stix won, as the Tigers Bats were hot.  Tigers 30-1

The Tigers would play a third game 4 hours later against the Arkansas Curve (the old Dairy Queen team). The Tigers would jump out quick 9-0 in the top of 1.  This game showed practice is important as the Tigers just wore down and let the lead slip away. The Curve's bat were hot as well, sending balls flying everywhere. The Tiger defense bowed up as Chris Swanberg snagged a ball out of the sky in left for the 3rd out and perserved the Tie with runners on base for the Curve. TIE 10-10

TIGERS #1 SEED VS #4 SEED FORFEIT

This forfeit put the Tigers in the championship game.

TIGERS VS CURVE CHAMPIONSHIP

The Curve came out ready for Championship ball as they jumped up on the Tigers 4-0 in the top of 1. The Tigers came roaring back and plated 3 runs of their own in the bottom of the first. The Curve would come out stroking the baseball again and put up another 4 runs to go up 8-3. The Tigers bats got hot as well plating 5 runs to tie the game 8-8. At this point the Tiger Defense came alive and only allowed 1 more run to the curve. The Tiger Bats lead by Chris Swanberg (2 triples and a double) were Hot!!! The Tigers would end the game by run rule in the 5th going up by 8. TIGERS 17-9

Gameballs went to Chris Swanberg and Franklin Hefflinger !!

THE TIGER 9'S ARE BACK AND READY !!!!!

GO TIGERS!!!!!!

The Memphis Tigers have made the championship game
4 weeks in a row!!

The Tigers have had a long hard month of baseball. The Tigers have won 3 of their last 4 tournaments and are ready for a break. At the mid point of the season these young men have brought home hardware from every tournament but 1 and played every Sunday!!!! WOW !!

4 Championships

1 Runner-Up

2 Consolation Championships

These young men are a little banged up after such a long hard road filled with playing stout baseball teams. These Tigers are hitting the swimming pools and going fishing !!!!!  The Tigers are taking a well deserved two week break!!!!

Congrats to the Giants bringing home the Championship this weekend. Two more feet and it could have been the Tigers.  The Giants are a great coached team full of great athletes and fine young men. The Tigers and Giants are championship ball teams with a great history of battles and have many more to come. These are the games you live to be a part of (Championship Ball).

WE'LL BE BACK !!!!  (In 2 weeks)

Go Tigers !!!!!!

The Memphis Tigers traveled to Birmingham, AL chasing the dream - the Tigers had set their goals high this season and the Road to Disney was the Dream.  This meant becoming a member of the Elite 24 field that would compete in Orlando at the Wide World Of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World and be among the top 24 teams in the Nation. What would this take - it would require a Super NIT Championship.

The Tigers arrived late Friday afternoon and would draw the late game (9pm) against Rascal Basball. The Rascals would throw their big ace all night against the Tigers. The Tigers found a few holes but, the big #25 Brooks would keep the Tigers off balance all night. One of the best pitchers the Tigers have seen this year.

Sat morning brought more heartache for the Tigers, as the Alabama Attack and Line Drive Baseball sent the Tigers to the bottom of the seeding. The Tigers just could not get anything going and got a taste of what big time baseball teams are about. To compete at this level you can not take a pitch off. The Tiger coaches and players would have a mindset meeting after the Tigers 3rd loss of pool play. The Tigers wouldn't get to go swimming after the 3rd loss until they hit the Practice field. Coach Kendrick and Trainor wouldn't let the boys leave until the Tigers knew what 100% meant and how to finish.  Something happened in that session as the boys became a new team. On Sunday, Mother's Day, a different Tiger baseball team would take the field.

The Tigers were at the bottom of the pack with a #10 seeding which put the Tigers in the first game of the day, 8 a.m. against #7 seed Oxford Bombers.  The Tigers would jump out quick with 6 runs in the first. The Tiger defense did the rest. 7-5 Tigers

The Tigers would then advance to face the #2 seed Line Drive Baseball. The Tigers knew this would be a hard fought, close game, as these 2 teams have gone toe-to-toe each time they have met. D J Robinson would take the mound first with Chris Swanberg coming in and closing the door on Line Drive with some ace pitching. 8-6 Tigers advance to semi-finals

The Tigers would face the #3 seed TPSA Bandits. The Tigers would jump out with some solid hitting and defense to take a commanding lead 9-2 going into the bottom of the 6th. The Tigers were 3 outs away from the Championship game, not so fast!!  The hard hitting Bandits were not ready to just let the Tigers walk up the hill to the championship game. The Bandits strung together a few singles and then a GRANDSLAM !! and another solo Homerun. The Bandits had battled back and tied the game. The mental toughness of the Tigers showed as the International rules came into play. Hayden (The Hammer) Leatherwood would crush a single to center and drive in the 2 runs. D J Robinson would come in and get the Save and put the Tigers in the Championship Game.  Tigers 11-9

MEMPHIS TIGERS  vs  GULF COAST LIGHTNING

The Tigers would win the toss, thanks to D J calling tails and the Tigers would be the home team for the first time all day...  William Locke would take the mound and pitch 3 flawless innings. D J Robinson would get the scoring started for the Tigers with a 2 run 200+ HR over Left-center field. Garrett Baugh would come in and close the game pitching the last 3 innings. Tigers 6-4  (SUPER NIT CHAMPIONS)

This group proved what they could accomplish, when you believe in yourself and each other. This is what a Team is about!!!   The Tiger's backs were against the wall and all odds were against them.  The Tigers learned a lot from other teams this week-end on what being a team means. Hat's off to all the great teams in the Tournament. 

 Great Job Tigers !!!! 

HIGHLIGHTS:

Hayden Leatherwood 2 HR'S

DJ Robinson 2 RUN HR

BAM BAM 2 RUN HR

Steven Kendrick 4 double plays / diving outfield catch

Preston Trainor throwing out 2 base runners.

Tigers going 9 pitchers deep !!!!! with plenty of pitching left..

Every Tiger could be mentioned here!!!!!! Awesome !!!

Locke , Swanberg , Baugh , Cain , Hefflinger

Tigers Pitching !!! Tigers Hitting !!! (Sun)Tiger defense!!!!

Happy Mothers Day to the Tiger Moms!!!

TIGER SCORE 60 AND ALLOW ONLY 10 RUNS ON WEEKEND!!!!

The Tigers team defense is really starting to gel. The Tigers never had to pull a starting pitcher all week-end as the defense stood tall and the pitch counts stayed low. The Tiger Bats were hot all week-end. On Sunday the bats started slow but once the blood got flowing, they were hot!!

Every Tiger recorded hits and runs, a complete team effort. The Tiger parents had a great week-end with the best tasting BBQ in Memphis !!! The team chemistry is starting to show and the Tigers are ready to head to Birmingham, Alabama for the Super NIT.

Go Tigers !!!

Great job !!!

HIGHLIGHTS

Hayden Leatherwood Grand Slam!!!

Pitchers DJ Robinson, Hayden Leatherwood, Frank Hefflinger

Team Defense !!!

Team Bats !!

6TH ANNUAL

MARION ROTARY

INVITATIONAL NIT

CHAMPIONS !!!!

Tiger defense claims championship

 Zero runs allowed all week-end !!

A great team effort!!!

TIGERS GO 4-1 !!!           

 In THE BEST OF THE SOUTH   at Snowden Grove Park The Tigers went 2-1 in pool play. The runs allowed didn't favor the Tigers in this tournament. The Tigers were sent to the  CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET. The Tigers came to the park and proved they deserved to play in the Championship bracket by running past the Heat and shutting out the Braves to claim the Consolation Championship !!!..

HIGHLIGHTS:  TIGERS GO YARD   

WILLIAM LOCKE LEAD-OFF HOMERUN OVER LEFT FIELD (BREAKS WINDSHIELD!!!)

PRESTON TRAINOR OVER THE CENTER FIELD FENCE !!!

TIGERS BRING HOME SILVER CHAMPIONSHIP !!!

BAM BAM (SETH) COCHRAN the Tiger's Catcher had a massive head trauma incident this Friday night.  Bam was on his way to his hotel room after rooting a fellow Memphis team on in the tournament.  Bam slipped and came crashing down head first on the pavement.

Bam fractured his skull and air was trapped inside on the brain. Bam was rushed from Muscle Shoals ER back to LeBonheur Childrens Hospital around 3:30 am Sat Morning.  Bam is a trooper / Fighter and is presently home to start the recovery process.

The Tigers would like to thank everyone for all the phone calls and prayers for Bam. The Tigers remembered Bam before and during every game. The Tigers didn't finish like they would have liked or are capable of, but did manage to bring Bam some hardware home.  Thanks to some bad weather and poor scheduling the Tigers had to play 2 games in frigid temperatures that carried on until 12:20am Sunday morning, after clean up the Tigers didn't get back to the bed until after 1 am. The Tigers would, of course, get the first game of the day as well on Sunday. The Tigers did get their second wind and dug deep to overcome a 9-1 deficit and come back to claim the Silver Championship 14-11 over the North Alabama Giants.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHT : LOGAN CAIN THROWS PERFECT GAME AGAINST  SHARKS!!! NO BASE RUNNERS ALLOWED 

Great job Tigers!!!

we love you Bam!!!!!!!!!

 ROCKET CITY WINTER COUNT DOWN

HUNSTVILLE , AL  CHAMPIONS !!!! 

10 TEAM TOURNAMENT !!!

The Memphis Tigers traveled to Huntsville, Alabama after a bad snow storm hit Memphis and cancelled their tournament at First Tn Fields. This group of parents and boys proved they are willing to pick up and go play anyone , anywhere, anytime!!!!!   Hats off to parents who made this trip possible and hats off to the boys for coming through with a championship!!!

The Tiger would first play a stout Alabama Senators Team, The Tigers stout pitching and strong base running was to much for the Senators.. Tigers 9-0

The Tigers would then face off with a very talented TPSA BANDITS. This team is a training facilty team out of Cullman, AL sort of like a Gameday team here in Memphis. They practice year round with great facilities. The Tigers played a awesome defensive game but could never get the bats going against some strong pitching and solid defense from the Bandits. The Tigers would Lead 2-0 going into the last inning. The Bandits prevailed and handed the Tigers their first loss of the season, coming from behind to beat the Tigers. 3-2 Bandits

The Tigers stout Defense enabled them to cling on to the 4th seed going into the Championship rounds. Tigers only allowed 3 runs in pool play and only 10 on the week-end. The Tigers would have to battle the #1 seed North Alabama Sharks. The Sharks didn't see the Tigers coming, as the Tigers wheeled off 9 runs before the sharks could try and bite. Tigers 11-3 This put the Tigers in the Championship Game.

TSP BANDITS  VS. MEMPHIS TIGERS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

The rematch:  The game started out as a defensive duel with the Tigers pulling out late. The Tigers went up 2-0 in the first, to only see the Bandits take a 4-2 lead into the last inning. TPSA had won the toss and was the home team, all they had to do was hold the Tigers down and the game was over. NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!!  The Tiger bats got hot with singles from Preston Trainor & Logan Cain putting the tieing runs on base with no outs. Hayden Leatherwood would come to the plate and deliver a crushing Triple to the Left Field Fence scoring 2 RBI'S to tie the game and put the leading run on 3rd base. Hayden would score the go ahead run and 2 more Tigers would cross the plate before the Bandits could stop the bleeding. The Tigers would call on Hayden Leatherwood one more time, This time on the pitching mound to perserve the game. Hayden Delivered and got his first pitching victory as a Tiger.

Great Job Tigers!!!!

WEEK-END PLAYERS HIGHLIGHTS:

Pitching :  DJ ROBINSON, WILLIAM LOCKE , PRESTON TRAINOR, FRANKLIN HEFFLINGER , HAYDEN LEATHERWOOD

BAM BAM GUNNING DOWN 4 BASERUNNERS FROM CATCHER

Team Defense as a whole: OUTSTANDING TEAMWORK !!!! 

TIGERS COMPLETE 2008 PRESEASON CAMP AND TACKLE BIG FOOT !!!!

The Tigers finished up their preseason camp. The Tigers started the camp off with some speed training at Velocity Sports, followed by a trip downtown to BIG FOOT LODGE. The Tigers would tackle the famous 4lb burger (see albums section) 

The Tigers would all travel and stay together thanks to VAN'S TO GO and Coach Trainor providing a model home for the Tigers to stay in overnight. 

Saturday would start at APAK with a morning warm-up practice, followed by a date with the Houston High School Coaches for the next practice. The Tigers would take a little lunch break (all meals provided by the mom's breakfeast and lunch). The Tigers would then have a 3 hour team Scrimmage.

After all this , it was time for some fun. The Tigers all went to COMMANDO and celebrated Steven's Birthday.

These Tigers have worked hard and ready for another successful season. Special Thanks to all those Highlighted above for making this camp possible and pushing the boys to their limits.

GREAT JOB TIGERS & THANKS FOR ALL THE HARD WORK , COACH KENDRICK

2008 SPRING ROSTER

CHRISTOPHER SWANBERG

LOGAN CAIN

STEVEN KENDRICK

PRESTON TRAINOR

FRANKLIN HEFFLINGER

BAM BAM COCHRAN

WILLIAM LOCKE

D J  ROBINSON

ROLAND WILLIAMS

GARRETT BAUGH

HAYDEN LEATHERWOOD