The West Alabama 13-year-old all-star team is getting ready to head to Satsuma in Mobile to kick of its state competition.

“We are not too bad,” said head coach Seth Allgood. “We are a real scrappy team. These guys just don’t quit.”

The 13U squad, just last week, erased a 12-1 lead in one inning before winning a game.

“We hit the ball really well,” said Allgood when it came to talking about his team’s strengths. “We need to eliminate errors, but that will come with communication and talking in the game.”

The group has earned its way to the state tournament with quality wins in the district tournament.

Allgood is excited to see what his squad will be able to do now that it has had a little playing time together.

“We are just now starting to mesh together. I think our defense will improve a lot as these guys get used to each other,” he said.

The young group of players may be inexperienced at the 90-foot base level, but it has been together for quite some time.

“These guys have been on the same all-star team since they were 9. That should help speed up the process of getting used to playing each other,” Allgood said.

On the offensive side of the ball, Allgood said that Jacob Gunner and Justice Witherspoon should be key contributors for West Alabama.

The defense for the 13-year-old squad is led by Logan Boone, Josh Mangum and Matt Eicher.

Pitching will be interesting for the 13U team. With the Demopolis league not using many 13-year-olds, inexperience could be a factor. However, that doesn’t stop Charlie Parten and Jason Gunner from leading the charge on the mound.

After a few more practices, the group will head down to Satsuma to take on the rest of the best in the state and potentially come home with a state title.