The Thomson All-Star 9 & 10 girls' softball team recently captured the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association District Class B Mite Championship in Dublin.
And now they're poised to go after an even bigger trophy - a state title.
"We want to take state now," said Thomson Head Coach Mattie Cheatham. "Our motto in the district tournament was to take it and that's what we plan to do in state play."
The local team will travel to Vidalia for state tournament play on July 9-11.
"I am very proud of them," added Coach Cheatham, who has been serving as a volunteer softball coach with the Thomson-McDuffie County Recreation and Leisure Services for the past eight years. "They're really an awesome team. They played their hearts out. This team plays so well together."
It's been about 10 years since a girls' All-Star softball team from Thomson has won a district tournament.
"This is really special," said Coach Cheatham. "Now we want to go to Vidalia and win a state championship."
That's something that no local team in this age group has ever done.
"We want to be the first All-Star team to do that," said Coach Cheatham.
During the district tournament, the Thomson All-Stars went undefeated, posting a perfect 5-0 record.
The district championship team consists of the following players: Da'Maiyah Cheatham, Lilly Cushman, Alexis Pinkston, Hannah Allen, Amber Spivey, Jakelia Heath, Ivey Gheesling, Courtney Parris, Brianna Hudson, JerDaisa Bradshaw, Leah Wangness and Tommie Steed. The team is coached by Mattie Cheatham, Edward Cushman and Whitney Hillman, a former star softball player at Thomson High School.
The Thomson All-Stars ended up playing the Vidalia team for the district championship - a team they had defeated earlier in the tournament by a score of 16-4. In the championship game, the two teams played each other much closer.
Thomson Assistant Head Coach Edward Cushman recalled the team being down by three runs in the sixth inning and how they rallied back to tie the game at 6-6. It took two extra innings of play to decide the fate of the title game - the Thomson All-Stars eventually prevailing 9-8. The victory came in the eighth inning.
"We didn't have any one standout player," said Coach Cushman. "Every one of them did what was asked of them."
The longtime volunteer coach The team began practicing at Sweetwater Park near Thomson for the state tournament on Monday.
"I hope these girls can pull it off," said Coach Cushman. "They are a good group of girls."
