The North Chilton County 6U All-Stars finished third in the USSSA All-Star World Series. (Contributed Photo)

By Alec Etheredge | Staff Writer

The North Chilton County 6U All-Star Softball Team placed third in the USSSA All-Star World Series at the Gulf Shores Sports Plex last week.

The team finished behind runner-up Hayden from Alabama, and the World Series champions from Buford, Georgia.

North Chilton had a chance to move on to the championship round but came up one run short falling to Hayden by a score of 12-11.

The size and age difference between their players and the other teams made their run to the final three that much more special and gave them a sense of accomplishment, head coach Shannon Farris said.

“It’s just amazing what they did because if you looked at our team you’d just say there was no way,” Farris said. “Our team was made up of a 4-year-old, a couple of 5-year-olds, several 6-year-olds and only one 7-year-old, while the rest of the teams were mostly full of 7-year-olds.

Two of those players included Farris’ twin daughters, Hayden and Harley, who said they really enjoyed the fact that the tournament took place close to the beach.

Farris said he was lucky, not to just be coaching his girls, but all the girls because it was easy and so much fun to see them out there being free and doing what they enjoy.

“It’s really all them, we don’t have much control over 6-year-olds, so they deserve all the credit,” Farris said. “We just try to get them relaxed and having fun.”

The girls qualified for the World Series after finishing first in the pre-area tournament and area tournament, followed by third in the state tournament.

“It was so much fun, not just going to the World Series, but just seeing them have fun and playing to their potential,” Farris said.

When asked if it was nerve wracking for her, mom Dana Farris just held up her hand and showed her bitten off fingernails.

The girls will now move up an age group to 8U, which requires adjustments to the ball and speed of the game, but Shannon Farris and his girls are excited for the next step and look to head back to the World Series next year.