10/21/2009
Written By: Aaron McFarland, Iowa Sports Connection Editor
Category: Pee Wee Sports  

DES MOINES -- At 12 years old, a majority of kids are playing the most recent video game or watching television in their free time. Not the Eastside Sox. They play baseball. They love the game and it has shown with their success in 2009 as a top team in the state of Iowa and beyond.
  

Carlos James, former University of Iowa defensive back from 1989-1993, leads the 12U USSSA sanctioned Eastside Sox throughout the season and off-season programs. That’s correct, off-season. These young athletes have bought into the program and prepare themselves year round. “They know that hard work will pay off”, James said. The reason this can be done is the respect the kids have for each other and coach James. “The kids really enjoy each other. They are extremely easy to coach and they love the game of baseball. This is a great group of kids”, James said about the how easy it has been to get the kids motivated to do what it takes to be a successful program.
  

For a team that has played only one full year together, the Sox are turning heads on a regional and national level. The team started with six athletes three years ago and has since added four more to this years astounding 44-9 team. At the end of the season, the Sox were looking at a #2 ranking in the Midwest and #10 ranking in the nation.
  

The dedication these kids have shown is evident with turning a 25-10 record into a 44-9 record in only a year. The kids are talented to begin with, but they are a team and don’t get down on each other throughout a long USSSA season. Not only are all of these kids dedicated to baseball, but they are all involved in football and basketball as well.
  

Coach James also attributes much success to his assistant coaches Jim Carr, Bill Dawson, and Mark McMichael. According to James, “Those guys make it easy for me. We get better in practice. They do a great job of coaching during the week.”
  

It may be surprising to hear that an Iowa team is so highly rated, but not to those who know the team closely. They were not at all surprised when the team garnered attention. According to head coach James, “ We have had the talent, we just put everything together.” Their season started with a win over a highly touted rival team in Des Moines and much success followed with wins over other ranked teams in a tournament in Des Moines.

Not only did they start the season off with a bang, the Eastside Sox saw continued success throughout the year. Below is a list of the tournaments they competed in with a recap of the tournament provided by the Eastside Sox season end newsletter:

Royals Round Robin: Went 3-1 and a 4th place finish while playing up in a 13 & Under tourney
Kick Off Classic: Finished 1st and defeated the #1 team in the Midwest in the championship
HPBC Spring Classic: Another 1st place while beating the 2008 state champs for the 2nd time
May Madness NIT: 4th place finish; 3 wins on Saturday and 3 tough losses on Sunday
Ft. Dodge Early Bird: Took 1st as the only undefeated team in a rain shortened tourney
Ankeny Memorial Day: Undefeated 6-0 and the fourth Championship trophy this year!
Line Drive NIT: Went 3-0 and won the tourney. This was another one cut short by weather.
State Preview: Won our 17th game in a row, the championship over the Iowa Avalanche by a score of 7-0.
Iowa State Tourney: Our one disappointment in 2009; went 1-3 and didn’t qualify for bracket play.
Global World Series: What a way to forget the state tourney! Went 7-0 and won it all.
Summer Sizzler: In a border war, we beat 4 major Nebraska teams and took first.

This team will definitely see success in the near future with their dedication, talent, and coaches. With all ten of these young men being from the Des Moines area, the baseball programs in Des Moines look to have some talent to look forward to in the near future.