- April 26, 2024
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The Ormond Beach Golden Spikes 12U baseball team placed 13th out of 60 teams playing in the Cooperstown tournament. Courtesy photo.
Dallas Newkirk, Spikes youngest player, hit six homers during the Cooperstown tournament. Courtesy photo.
Nathaniel Anderson poses with his guardian, Donald Georger, at the annual Cooperstown Dreams Park 12U baseball tournament. Courtesy photo.
Dallas Newkirk poses with his grandfather Roy Johnson and his father Harry Newkirk at the Cooperstown Dreams Park 12U baseball tournament on Father's Day. Courtesy photo.
Nathaniel Anderson hit three home runs, the second one was a walkoff that won the game for the Spikes. Courtesy photo.
Dallas Newkirk and Spikes' head coach Clint Clymer at the Cooperstown Dreams Park 12U baseball tournament. Courtesy photo.
Nick Martinez. Photo by Michele Meyers
Catcher Nathaniel Anderson. Photo by Michele Meyers
Evan Attar. Photo by Michele Meyers
Evan Attar. Photo by Michele Meyers
Jackson Feezor. Photo by Michele Meyers
Jason Bruce.
Jason Bruce watched with catcher Jason Feezor as his hit goes foul. Photo by Michele Meyers
Catcher Nathaniel Anderson. Photo by Michele Meyers
Coach Clint Clymer. Photo by Michele Meyers
Evan Attar in a rundown during practice at the Nova fields. Photo by Michele Meyers
Evan Attar out on third after a rundown during Spikes practice at the Nova fields. Photo by Michele Meyers
Dallas Newkirk. Photo by Michele Meyers
Zevan Morgan. Photo by Michele Meyers
Evan Attar. Photo by Michele Meyers
Christopher Bailey. Photo by Michele Meyers
Playing baseball at Cooperstown Dreams Park is a big deal.
The Ormond Beach Golden Spikes 12-and-under team is well aware of the tournament’s iconic status in the world of Little League baseball. For 24 years, the team has made it a tradition to trek 1,157 miles to the annual tournament in Cooperstown, New York. This year, the team placed 13th out of the 60 teams in attendance from across the United States.
Dallas Newkirk, the youngest player on the team, hit six home runs and played three positions throughout the tournament’s six games: pitcher, second base and short stop. He has been playing for Spikes since he was 8, and qualified to play in this year’s tournament at the age of 11. The fact that major league baseball players have played in past tournaments makes it that much more exciting.
“There are a lot of major league players that played at Cooperstown and I hope to be one of them some day.”
DALLAS NEWKIRK, Ormond Beach Golden Spikes 12U player
“Jacob deGrom (MLB player) used to play for our team when he was our age, and when he went to Cooperstown, he was a Spike,” Newkirk said. “There are a lot of major league players that played at Cooperstown, and I hope to be one of them some day.”
Catcher Nathaniel Anderson hit three home runs during the tournament, with the second being a memorable walk-off to win the game.
With runners on third and second, the Spikes were down two points when he hit the homer off of a hanging curve ball on a one-two count.
“The rest was history,” he said. “You hang ’em, we bang ’em.”
Both players have aspirations to play in the big leagues. Newkirk would like to play for the New York Yankees, and Anderson for the Boston Red Sox.
Deanna Newkirk believes a collaborative effort contributes to the success of her son’s team.
“A lot of people in our local community donated to the team,” she said. “We would have never been able to go without the local businesses’ support. The boys couldn’t have done it without them.”
