Friday, July 26, 1996

Abilene North to go for it all this weekend

By MARK WILSON
Staff Writer

The Abilene North Junior League team has it all.

Or, at least the squad will have it all if it can win the state Junior League baseball tournament that starts Saturday at the State Little League Baseball Complex in Waco.

Abilene North Junior defeated a team from Lubbock 5-3 Tuesday night in Lubbock to qualify for the state tournament for 13-year-olds.

Manager Dean Goodman says his team is strong in all departments - pitching, hitting, defense, as well as their attitudes on and off the field.

"That's what got us here - defense, offense, and everybody hits the ball well. There are no weaknesses on this team," said Goodman, who still had not been notified as of practice time Thursday night who - or exactly when - Abilene North Junior League would play on Saturday when the tournament opens.

"We're just ready to play ball," Goodman said. "They don't care who it is. They've got a good chance, the way they've been playing ball."

Their most outstanding attribute may be that they are so close that they end up doing almost everything together.
"These guys stick together. They play as a team," Goodman said. "Their attitude has been good - and it has been good since Day 1. They all play baseball good together."

The team's hitting actually has improved - to .305 overall - since the all-stars first came together, but pitching depth may be the real key to the squad's chances at the state level.

"We've got more pitching depth," Goodman said. "We've got five pitchers, and everybody hits the ball here."

Goodman is in his sixth year as a youth league manager, and he has two experienced assistant coaches - Larry Gonzales and Pat Segura. In the 1985 and 1986 seasons, Gonzales - with Segala as an assistant - managed teams that took third place in the state tournament in College Station.