The 2006 Virginia Mustangs
The Virginia Mustangs Baseball Club
In a youth sports culture where sportsmanship often takes a back seat to winning at all costs,
The Virginia Mustangs Baseball Club 11-under baseball team has provided a breath of fresh air.
Placing an emphasis on character development and personal sacrifice over self-indulgent success, they have learned the right way to play the game - winning with style and accepting defeat with grace.
The Virginia Mustangs Baseball Club is coached by Andy Barrick, Liberty University's director of alumni affairs whose family was involved in a near-fatal car crash last fall. He is assisted by Tim Clinton, the executive director of LU's Center for Counseling and Family Studies, and Jerry Hodgert, with
Liberty Christian Academy's new superintendent Todd Campo serving as the team's manager.
Since traveling to its first tournament in November of 2005, Central Virginia has experienced an unprecedented level of success, capturing 23 tournament titles and accumulated a 117-23 record.
The Mustangs finished this summer as the top-rated USSSA 11-under team in Virginia, ranking sixth out of 2,351 teams.
"It's a cohesive group that works hard and has great families that support them," Clinton said.
"They show good sportsmanship on and off the field. They pray before they play ..."
"And we pray with some of the teams after games," added Clifton Kirkland, the older brother of teammate Jeremiah, who Joshua Campo calls "the funniest kid in the world."
The team doesn't hold tryouts, but is commissioned by a Higher Power.
"God gave us 11 boys," Clinton said.
"We're just like a big baseball family," added Clifton Kirkland who can pitch, catch and play right field. "There were no captains. Everybody's a captain and a leader."
Taking on the giants of the travel league baseball world, Central Virginia finished fifth out of more than 41 teams at the July 15-22 AAU National Championships at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.
After going 5-1 in pool play, the Mustangs outshined the Houston Silver Sox, coached by former New York Yankee Charlie Hayes, 1-0, with Zach Clinton pitching a gem, to advance to the Sweet 16.
The Mustangs were ranked No. 1 going into the single-elimination championship bracket, but suffered a 3-2 first-round loss to the Florida Diamond Dawgs, who scored the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning, ending their season.
Although they didn't win, playing at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex was a highlight of the season for many of the Mustangs.
"It's (Disney's Wide World of Sports) where they say dreams come true," said Donna Hodgert, Randolph College's women's swim coach and Jerry Hodgert's wife. "There was no time for anything but baseball."
Throughout the year, which starts in the fall, the Mustangs practiced two to three times per week and traveled at least two hours each way to compete in tournaments on the weekends.
Their opponents do the same, if not more.
"Life's not easy," he said. "You do go through hard times and you can either lay down or (pick yourself back up). Life's much bigger than baseball. You've got to make yourself better."
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