NATCHEZ — After a slow start to the season, the Natchez Rams 14-Under traveling team did quite well in several tournaments during the summer to qualify for the USSSA 14-Under AA World Series in Lake Charles, La.

And while things didn’t go as expected at the World Series, including head coach Dan Smith not being there with the team, it was a season the players and coaches won’t soon forget.

“We had a couple of ups and downs early in the season. But overall, we had a good season,” Smith said. “We traveled to Pensacola, Fla., and Houston, Texas. We played in a couple of tournaments in Baton Rouge. The only two cities in Mississippi we played in were Southaven and Brandon. I thank the community and parents for supporting the Natchez Rams.”

The Rams did quite well in those tournaments. Although they didn’t come in first place, they finished second by themselves in a few tournaments, tied for second in others and did no worse than third place in any tournaments. They qualified for the World Series by placing third at the State Tournament at New Albany.

Then came the real test — playing some of the best 14-under teams from Louisiana and Texas in the USSSA AA World Series. They were shut out in both pool play games and wound up seeded seventh.

After a stunning win over the second-seeded Texas Warriors, the Rams lost to the Knights of Sulphur, La. 4-3 and then fell to the Yellow Jackets, another team from Texas, 8-0.

“We had a couple of errors in the 8-0 game,” Smith said. “We played a lot of stiff competition. We were in each game except for that one. Mississippi-wise, I’d rate us as one of the top three teams in 14-under.”

Smith was on his honeymoon during the World Series, meaning assistant coaches Gene Banks and Joe Washington led the team.

One reason the Rams made it to the World Series was the pitching of Javon Washington, whom Smith called the best 14-year-old pitcher in the state.

“It was nice. There were people throwing faster than I did,” Washington said. “Sometimes, you play people that are better than you and some that are not.”

Another player who helped the Rams play far into the season was third baseman/pitcher Givonni Dent.

“It was a good season. We had a lot of errors that messed us up during the games,” Dent said. “It was nice (playing in the World Series). It felt good to make it that far.”