– We all know Duval County is sports-crazed. We talk about high school, college and pro sports success all of the time. But these athletes start building their careers on little league rec teams, where you can see a glimmer of an athlete’s success begin to shine.As the Tsunami 10U softball team sits in the dugout screaming the team chant, the 9 to 11-year-old girls have big smiles on their faces and are holding up their state championship ring with a ton of pride.
Tsunami competes in the Jax Beach Softball League, a rec league made up of Jacksonville area athletes. They practice at Wingate Park twice a week. After five months their hard work on the field culminated in a state championship. “I was on the mound and we were the last in the field,” Tsunami 10U pitcher Olivia Shaffer said. “It was amazing to win, but I also kind of felt bad because the last strikeout was one of my best friends and she was upset so I was like ‘sorry’.”
This is the first and last state championship for the current team as head coach Rhory Benjamin will be moving up to 12U with his daughter next year.