Marshall County Tribune: Community Sports: Marshall County Jr. Tigers Roar to Another TYBA State Title (09/21/07)

The Marshall County Jr. Tigers - First row, left to right: Andrew Giles, Hayden Bailey, Ryan Richardson, Matt Sharp, Aaron Hobbs and Neil Davis. Second row: Cody Blackburn, Chris Brooks, Zach Horvath, Jesse Kilpatrick, Dylan McKnight, and Zack Kirby. Back row: Coaches Rex Richardson, Dennis Sharp and Jeff McKnight and Manager Mike Bailey.

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For the second time in three years, the Jr. Tigers reached the pinnacle as the top team in the Tennessee Youth Baseball Association. This year they did it in the 11-12 year-old age group. Two years ago, the Tigers claimed the title in the 9-10 year-old division. Last year, the Jr. Tiger travel team decided to skip this tournament in order to play USSSA tournaments in Georgia and Florida, which allowed them to play some of the most competitive teams in the eastern United States.

This decision afforded the opportunity to gain valuable experience and it gave the team confidence that they could compete against anyone. That experience and confidence along of course with the team's talent and work ethic, proved to be lethal for the six teams that went down in defeat at the hands of this Marshall County team during the recent state tourney held in Cookeville.