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MONROE, La. – The Concordia 8U All-Stars made a dominant run through the district tournament in Monroe this past weekend, finishing as the district runner-up and earning a berth in the state tournament set for July 10-11 in New Orleans.

Concordia came out swinging, going 4-0 through the first three days of competition behind explosive offense lockdown defense, and standout individual performances. The team’s momentum slowed on championship Sunday, where they dropped back-to-back games to finish second in the 12-team field. 

“We played really well the first four games,” Coach Duncan Guedon said. “We had a tough final day, but overall the kids played their hearts out. I’m proud of them.”

Among the standouts was DeAndre White, who consistently delivered at the plate and in the field. White was an offensive juggernaut throughout the tournament, hitting multiple home runs and driving in over 20 runs in the course of four games. In Thursday’s 16-0 win over Rayville, he launched two inside-the-park home runs and finished with six RBIs. 

Shortstop JT Russell anchored the infield with several clutch defensive plays and also contributed offensively, going 3-for-3 in Thursday’s opening game. 

The team kept the momentum going Friday with a dramatic 9-8 walk-off win over Rayville Reds 8U. Jaceion Warner led the offense, going 3-for-4 including a game-tying triple in the third and the eventual game-winning run in the eighth. 

Saturday’s doubleheader featured dominant wins over East Ouachita 8U All-Stars and Winnsboro 8U. White once again powered the offense, hitting two homers and driving in four in a 16-0 victory over East Ouachita, then adding another home run and four more RBIs in an 11-3 win over Winnsboro. Callon Williams, Evan Milliken, Carson Cowan, and Cole Perry also contributed multi-hit games during the Saturday doubleheader sweep. 

Pitcher Brady Wilson turned in several solid outings on the mound throughout the tournament.  His best outing came in the opening game, where he allowed three hits and no runs in three innings, striking out two and walking none. 

But Sunday brought tough losses to West Carroll and a rematch with Winnsboro. Despite a late rally, Concordia fell 9-7 to West Carroll and then 10-0 to Winnsboro, who scored seven runs in the second inning of the final game to seal the outcome. 

“Sunday was just a rough day,” Guedon said. “We came out flat and couldn’t quite recover, but that doesn’t take away from how well these kids performed overall.”

The Concordia 8U All-Stars finished the tournament as sub-district champions and district runner-ups. The team will now shift focus to the state tournament in New Orleans beginning July 10, where they will look to bounce back and make another deep run. 

“The bats have been hit or miss this season, but our defense has been really strong,” Guedon said. “If we can put it all together in New Orleans, I think we can surprise some people.”

Recaps and stats provided by GmaeChanger.