Saying Thank You
Local players participate in NABF World Series.
By BleckleyProgress.com contributor
Aug 13, 2008, 21:24

Bleckley residents Brennan Ethridge and Chase Raffield recently returned from the NABF (National Amateur Baseball Federation) World Series in Jackson, Mississippi. The boys are members of the TNL Sports 18U travel baseball team.

The team played tournaments over the summer in Georgia and Alabama using wooden bats for all tournaments. The season culminated with the trip to the World Series event from July 31st to August 3rd in Mississippi.

Raffield played center and left field for the team and Ethridge was relief/starting pitcher. Raffield led the team in batting averages with a 330 for the summer. Ethridge’s highest number of strike outs in the season came against the Upstate Mavericks from South Carolina during the World Wood Bat Championship in Atlanta with 8 strike outs in 6 and 2/3 innings. Ethridge faced Team Ontario, a Canadian team, in the NABF World Series. He pitched a complete game allowing 3 runs with 4 strikeouts and 2 walks.

The 9-3 victory helped the team post a 6-0 record entering the championship game. The team fell to the Bayside Yankees of New York finishing the tournament as the 2008 National Runner-Up in the Senior Division.

The team is coached by Chance Reynolds (owner of TNL sports), Tom McMillian and Jeff Barfield. Both boys plan to play fall ball with the team beginning in September.

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