Cayman’s YMCA youth baseball and softball teams recently made their mark at the International Baseball and Softball Invitational, held 7-11 July in Fort Myers, Florida.
This was the fourth time the Cayman Islands has participated in this tournament and the first time Cayman YMCA has sent a girls’ softball team to compete overseas.
Each team comprised 12 players from the local YMCA youth baseball and softball programmes.
The 12U baseball team were aged 10-12, the 14U squad 13-14, and the girls’ softball team aged 12-16.
The 12U baseball team
The 12U team, lead by head coach Arvin Plaza and assistant coaches Rupert Whittaker Jr. and Stephen Anderson, had a strong showing, finishing with an overall record of three wins and three losses.
They secured second place in their pool with a 3-1 record, earning a spot in the 12U semi-finals.
Their pool play started off with a 17-0 loss against USA Fort Myers, but they had a promising turnaround later that same day when they secured a 13-3 win against Bahamas Islanders.
Their winning streak continued with a 12-1 victory against USA Hancock and a 12-3 win against Aruba.
In the semi-finals, they took a one-sided 15-0 loss to Puerto Rico. They then played for third place two days later where they fell short 6-2 to the Bahamas.
The 12U team has competed in this tournament since 2022, and this year’s results marked their first trip to the semi-finals. They ultimately placed fourth overall in the tournament and third overall for the Caribbean region.
The 14U baseball team
The 14U baseball team, led by head coach Bill Souza and assistant coach John Fawkes, had an exceptional tournament, finishing with an impressive overall record of five wins and one loss.
They dominated their pool, placing first with a 4-0 record, which earned them a semi-final berth.
Their pool play victories included a 16-6 win against Jamaica, followed by a 5-3 win against USA San Carlos.
The next day, they beat USA Hancock 10-5, followed by a 17-2 victory against Anguilla.
They went on to win their semi-final game against Jamaica 14-1, securing a spot in the finals. However, they later fell 16-0 to USA Fort Myers.
This was the team’s first time competing in a 14U tournament, and they achieved a noteworthy second place overall and first place for the Caribbean region.
Girls softball
The girls softball team, lead by head coach Hailee Bugg and assistant coach Marline Williams, made their overseas debut.
Despite losing all five of their games and placing fifth overall in their pool, Souza told the Compass, “[They] exceeded expectations on the field, including scoring 14 runs against a local USA team in a tough 15-14 loss to start the tournament.”
Their pool play games also included a 17-3 loss to USA Montano, a 12-1 defeat to Bahamas and a 12-1 loss to USA Naples.
They also lost 12-1 to Bahamas in the Softball Caribbean Championship game.
“All three teams exceeded our expected results,” Souza said. “We knew our baseball teams were continuing to improve, but we did not anticipate these results.”
Reflecting on the 14U second pool game of the tournament against USA San Carlos, he said, “We fought back from a 3-0 deficit to come back and win 5-3 [and] that showed what our team was capable of.”
He added, “It was that same day that our 12U team beat … the Bahamas for the first time in the [four] years we have competed against them … and our girls’ [softball] team [scored] 14 runs in their first ever international game. All of [the] coaches, our players, and their families were floating a bit that night, and a strong confidence was built that carried us through the week.”
Up next, the youth teams hope to attend ‘The World Comes to the Palm Beaches International Baseball Tournament’ in West Palm Beach, Florida in October.
