2016 Top Gun Winter World Series Champions

- Work Hard to Dream Big -

 9/8 update: Fall Schedule Practice Dates Updated

Pressure is a privilege – When in a position to achieve greatness do not shy from the challenge but run toward it.
Keep it fun and enjoy the ride no matter where it ends up.
You never know who will come through. Be engaged, ready to contribute with a role on your team.
Anyone can lead.  Have the right stuff to step up and make a speech that galvanizes your team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOdfG2XG4rU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2dV25GDXx8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBTmMT6p95s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26zWEPQQjbM

Respect the Game                     Play Hard
Respect the Umpires                 Honor your Coaches
Pick up your Teammates           Hustle
Cheer for your Teammates        Get Dirty
Have a Good Attitude                Play Fair
Thank your Parents                   Eager to Learn

The Carolina Rattlers is a youth baseball team comprised of Little League All-Stars with a passion for the game.  The coaches are committed to teaching and playing the game the way it should be done.  Our parents are dedicated to supporting their children and coaches in their efforts.  The players have bought in to working hard as a team and on their own to be the best baseball athlete possible.

The Rattlers would go 5-1 for the long weekend earning the championship with sweet revenge over two foes who had beat the boys in their previous match-ups.  Friday's game against the highly ranked SandHills Heat was a close affair with Rattlers pitching prevailing for a 6-2 win.  Saturday's first game was no contest in a 16-1 victory over the Tidewater Outlaws.  The two wins and low runs allowed earned the boys the number 1 seed out of 37 teams.  The evening game was a struggle and nothing ever went the boys way in a 10-0 lose.  Sunday began with the Hill City Sliders where the Rattlers' pitching and hitting was too much for an easy 6-1 win.  The semi-final game with the Wilson Reds was another display of excellent pitching and hitting for a 12-0 win.  The championship game with the NW Heat started with the Heat jumping out with 3 runs in the top of the first but the boys responded with 3 of their own.  Never looking back the Rattlers continued to build their lead and would win 13-6.  A very successful finish to a long season with more highs than lows.  Most importantly all the players made improvements. 

A short handed Saturday was in store for the boys but they had no trouble with the Chatham Phoenix in 3 innings.  The second game was close all the way but eventually ended in defeat 7-5 to the Hill City Sliders.  Sunday most of the team was back in action where the Carolina Raiders would be no match in the first game.  The semi-final had the Sliders again and the result would be the same a close 2 run defeat.  Good preparation for next weeks Winter World Series.

Saturday the boys would win easily 14-5 over the NW Hurricanes on their home field.  The second game saw the Wildcards have too much pitching for the boys to handle early in the season dropping a 10-2 decision.  Sunday the boys were top seed in the silver bracket and would get back to their winning ways behind two complete game pitching performances.  The semi final game against the Storm was tight until the end when the boys used their speed to pull away with a 6-3 win.  The championship was never in doubt and only a matter of time before the boys would end it early 8-0 over the Freedom.

In their all-star tune-up the boys would take all four games in Oxford to come away with the Championship.

The Rattlers will play Sunday only due to the rain.  A tough weekend saw the boys go 1-2.

Saturday the boys faced two strong opponents in the NCDB Rivercats and Sanford Cobras. The Rivercats had been winless against the Rattlers on many occasions and came with their best for a close win.  The Cobras also knew the Rattlers and brought their best for an easy win this meeting.  Sunday the boys would re-group and cruise to an easy semifinal victory over the South Wake Storm.  The championship with the Wendell Nationals was hard fought and great experience with the Rattlers coming away with the one run victory.  Solid efforts for the weekend with each game and situation adding value experience.

The Rattlers used the limited weekend to keep in game mode by only playing Saturday.  The objectives were met with 6 pitchers getting work and 25 runs scored.  The Avengers had a rough time in the field allowing for an easy 12-3 win.  The Elon Phoenix were a solid hitting team but could not keep up the pace as the Rattlers would outscore them in the end 13-12.

The Rattlers would head West to Greensboro to play USSSA this weekend.  The Saturday draw provided the boys a big challenge against two top D1 teams.  Game 1 with 4G3 was in reach after 3 but the lack of hitting and the 4G3 bats would come alive to make it a one sided affair.  Game 2, the boys would battle back to tie the score after 3 1/2 but the East Rowen team answered in the bottom of the 4th to take the lead for good.  Coming into the weekend the two opponents had only 3 losses in USSSA play to date. 

Sunday provided the now common opportunity of facing the same teams in the same weekend.  This time against 4G3 the Rattlers bats were alive for 2 HRs and 11 hits behind an outstanding complete game 13 K outing by Ian.  The semi final game with East Rowan was no contest from the start providing an early exit for the boys. 

The weekend provided an opportunity to see new teams and experience high level play providing a benchmark in their journey.

The boys would face adversity all weekend from the cold wind, dust storms, and field conditions to be silver bracket runner up.  Saturday would start against a pesky NW Heat where there was no pitching answer loosing 14-11.  The second game with the Predators was a solid showing for the boys winning with a walk off hit 7-6.  The high runs allowed placed them in the silver bracket for Sunday.  The semi-final game was no contest with a 9-0 victory over the Rage.  The championship game would see the Heat again where both teams had revenge in mind.  The Rattlers from the day before and the Heat from the first tournament.  The Heat proved to be stronger all the way around to claim victory 11-7.  More work to be done to keep improving our consistency. 

This weekend's tournament made up of D1 and D2 teams proved to be a good test for the boys.  With only 6 spots in the gold bracket every game and run would matter on Saturday.  Saturday's first matchup started close with the HYAA Hawks but the Rattlers would blow it open for a 14-2 win keeping the runs allowed low.  The next opponent would be the Winter World Series D2 Champion, Carolina Titans- Combat.  The boys would struggle at the plate but made the game interesting by coming back to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth.  One extra inning was all the Titans needed for the 10-6 win.

Sunday would be an early 8:30 start with the temperatures hovering around 40 degrees all day.  A rematch with the Titans would prove no contest as the Rattlers generated 17 hits including a 2 run homerun by Ian for a 15-9 victory.  The win would place the boys in the semi-final game against a very good 919 Nationals (West Raleigh) team.  The teams would trade runs in the 1st and 4th innings heading into the 5th tied at 2-2.  The Nationals turned to small ball in the 5th manufacturing a go ahead run with 2 bunts.  Three more runs in the 6th by the Nationals provided a cushion with the Rattlers down to their last at bat.  The boys showed their heart and would rally with 2 outs to leave the tying run at third base.

Overall, a super weekend for the boys playing three D1 games with a win, extra inning loss, and one run loss to very good teams.  The boys are playing great team baseball and turning heads along the way.   

The Rattlers came to play in their first outing of the season showing the results of their off-season and pre-season work.  Saturday's two opponents felt the punch of the Rattlers offense for 36 runs in 8 innings.  The Carolina Freedom and Carolina Pirates were no match for the boys.  Sunday's semi final game would be Gabriel's to remember with a solo HR, single and 6 shutout innings on the mound.  The game was close on the scoreboard but appeared easy as the Rattlers played solid defense to help their pitcher.  The temperatures were falling in the championship game while the Rattlers bat were hot striking for 13 runs in the first two innings against the NW heat.  Finally the 4th Heat pitcher slowed the Rattlers who coasted to the win. 

The boys are off to a good start and plan to work hard to get to the next level this spring. 

The ending to the fall campaign had the Rattlers in the Winter World Series with 34 teams from a three state radius.  Unfortunately, the Saturday rains shortened the games and format for the weekend.  The Rattlers would earn a top 8 seed with the opportunity to play against the best for a chance to win it all.  This was accomplished by a great performance in their only pool play game winning 10-3 over the Carolina Elite.  Caden put the team on his shoulders throwing 4 2/3 perfect innings keeping the runs against low.

The start of bracket play had the Rattlers playing the same old Red Raiders who were the #1 seed.  The Rattlers were hoping for a different Sunday outcome this time but fell behind early. The boys never gave up pulling to within one run when the game was called on time limit in the fifth inning.  The Raiders would go on to be gold bracket runner up.

The Fall Season would start off with a ton of momentum then the rains came and stayed disrupting play.  The team re-grouped and played strong opponents to close out the season with each game full of learning opportunities.  In summary, good teams- 4-6 (3 one run losses), medium teams- 3-2 (1 one run loss), easy teams 3-0.  The overall 10-8 record shows that the Rattlers played solid ball, the right level of competition and competitive in most every game. 

We look forward to building on this season starting with pre-season workouts for the team in mid January.

The boys may have been down on the scoreboard at times this weekend but not on themselves providing some thrilling moments and anxious times for the opponents.  Saturday opened with a victory against the much improved Rivercats by the slimmest of margins.  The boys would outplay the Rivercats in all but one big inning.  The Sanford Cobras had a little more in the second game to take the one run victory despite solid play by the boys. 

Sunday's gold bracket play had the Rattlers as the 5th seed against a bigger Connie Corey Hurricanes team.  The Hurricanes jumped out early with a bold hitting display.  The Rattlers would settle in to stop the bleeding and make a valiant comeback bid only to be denied on time limit.  Re-grouping for the final game with Rock Solid Red, the boys would battle back to tie the game in the bottom of the 5th.  The 6th provided an opportunity to win in regulation but all attempts failed sending the game into an extra inning.  Rock solid would go ahead by one putting pressure on the boys to score in the bottom of the 7th.  The boys executed for two runs for an exciting victory.  Solid competition and good play in all games should have the Rattlers ready and eager to strike in the Winter World Series.

The weekend can best be summed up as the one that got away and the importance of a single run.  Both losses were by one run and the gold bracket was missed by one run.  The Saturday opener had the Rattlers jump up early then fall behind against the Titans.  The boys would hang in and put up 2 runs with a two out rally in the last inning leaving the tying run on third.  The second game was close until the boys scored 6 runs in the 5th inning securing the win over the Carolina Storm.  Sunday's play would have the boys take command of the first game and never look back against the Wilson Reds.  In the final game, the Rattlers fell behind early and looked dead until a big 6 run final inning again left the boys one run short with the tying run at third.  The boys have made great strides in getting more comfortable with the open bases and holding runners.  The Rattlers now get a small break before the final two weekends of the fall. 

The Rattlers were back in action after nearly a month off due to the rain.  It was very apparent in the first game where the Rattlers only put up a single run against the VA Reds.  The boys would rebound in the night cap beating the NW Force that showed heart in the come from behind win to make the gold bracket.  Sunday the boys came out hitting against our familiar foe the Red Raiders but the defense did not show up.  The consolation game brought the VA Reds for a rematch.  This time Rattlers would prevail to close the weekend.  All in all the weekend would be a mixed bag of great plays and plenty of opportunities to improve for next week.  Time for the team to work hard and pick up the intensity down the home stretch.

The Carolina Rattlers opened the fall 2015 schedule with four games in the Oxford, NC AAU Rings Challenge.  Their 3-1 weekend record earned third place in the eight-team field.

The Rattlers got off to a strong start with two Saturday wins.  The day opened against the Avengers out of Granville County.  Evan Banta and Logan Lowe combined for five strong innings on the mound and a 13-6 victory.  A 90-minute rain delay pushed first pitch in the second game past 6:30pm.  After the skies cleared, the Rattlers jumped out to an early lead and executed well defensively against the Youngsville Red Raiders for a 6-4 win.  A 2-0 record on Day 1 earned the team second seed in the Sunday bracket.

Day two started off slow at the plate, but then saw the Rattlers heat up mid-game.  They pushed across four runs in both the third and fourth frames to earn a 9-0 victory against Halifax County South.  Nick Reed earned the complete game victory, allowing only four hits in five innings.

The final game of the day was a rematch against the Red Raiders for a berth in the tournament championship.  A pitcher’s dual through three innings, the game broke open in the fourth with a string of two out hits from the Red Raiders. The Rattlers battled to the end, threatening a comeback in the sixth with the bases loaded. But Youngsville snuffed out the potential rally, handing the Rattlers a 6-0 defeat.

This tournament marked the Rattler’s first opportunity to play with live stealing on the base paths. They made adjustments quickly and improved defensively throughout the weekend, especially in holding opposing base runners close.  The Rattlers proved to be quick studies on offense as well after a pre-season crash course in “getting leads” and “reading the pitcher”.  The debut weekend saw no Rattlers caught stealing or picked off on base.

Overall, an encouraging return to tournament baseball after a four-month break for the team.  The Rattlers have two weeks of practice before their next tournament at the end of the month in Cary, NC.

The Carolina Rattlers shook off a slow start in Angier, spotting a 11-run lead to the Dirt Dawgs before battling back to win 12-11 in the opening game of their final spring tournament.   The team followed the impressive comeback with a Game Two victory over the East Chatham Renegades 7-5. 

Despite going 2-0 Saturday, their 16 runs allowed gave the Rattlers a less favorable seed heading into Sunday. The Rattlers opened the day against a very talented Youngsville Red Raiders squad.  An outstanding pitching performance and some stellar defense wasn't quite enough as the Red Raiders edged out the Rattlers 2-1. The game was easily the best of the tournament and clearly showed the Rattlers' progress over the spring season.

The team shook off the hard-fought loss with two impressive wins to close the day, 17-6 over the Rivercats and 14-3 over the Carolina Shockers. Both games allowed for plenty of players to gain more experience on the mound and in different defensive positions. The Rattlers finished the spring season with an overall record of 12-5 as the boys headed into the heart of Little League play and All-Stars.

Offense was the theme as the Carolina Rattlers conducted a hit parade in winning their first 9U tournament. The Rattlers posted 55 runs while allowing just 12 over the weekend, finishing a perfect 4-0 for the two days.

Saturday saw the Rattlers pound the Roxboro Renegades 25-4 in the first game and then coast to a 14-2 win over the Orange County Crushers in the second game. 

In bracket play Sunday, the Renegades opened with a much stronger performance, making the Rattlers work in a 10-5 victory.  That win pushed the Rattlers to their first ever championship game. Threatening clouds surrounded Oxford throughout the championship but the rain would hold off until the end.  A strong Rattlers start and consistent pitching gave them a 6-1 victory over Carolina Titans Blue from Elizabeth City.  The skies began to open up just in time for the trophy presentation.  Rattlers and parents celebrated briefly before heading for cover with the tournament plaque in hand.

The Carolina Rattlers traveled back to Oxford to face strong competition and frigid weather. With temperatures falling below freezing at times, the Rattlers managed only a split on Saturday.  In the opener the Rattlers jumped out to a comfortable lead early, before holding on to defeat the Rivercats 11-10.  Good fortune didn't hold though, as the Roxboro Renegades took advantage of some sluggish play in the second game.  Despite being outhit, the Renegades took the win 7-5. 

Sunday the Rattlers were clearly more prepared for the elements and cruised to a 15-7 win over the Rivercats in the opener.  That win pushed the team into their first semi-final game against the North Wake Crush.  The Crush featured a lineup full of players from last year's North Wake 8U all-star squad, and the more experienced Crush proved to be too much in the afternoon.  Final score Crush 10 - Rattlers 2.  Sunday's games moved the Rattlers to an even 4-4 on the season.

The weekend's clear take away: always be prepared for both the opponent and the conditions.  

The Carolina Rattlers were introduced to travel ball as a team with a pair of quality opponents in their first 9U tournament.  The Rattlers debuted Saturday with an 8-5 win against the Granville County Crushers.  The day's second game was a tight affair, but an experienced Carolina Bluesox squad prevailed 9-6.  

Thanks to a less favorable seed, the Rattlers met the same Bluesox team again Sunday morning.  Behind strong pitching, the Bluesox made it a weekend sweep against the Rattlers, winning 8-4.  The Rattlers finished .500 for the weekend, easily defeating the Granville Crushers 11-5, in the day's final game.  The first weekend was a great learning experience, setting the stage for the rest of the spring season.