SoDu IronDawgs

They did it!! 🏆 Our 14u IronDawgs swept the weekend 5-0 and brought home the championship cup for the 14u/15u Dynamic Baseball Appalachian Championship!! Competition was fierce with the formidable 15u Knoxville Stars who came out swinging, scored five runs in the first inning, and started with a tight defense, including two early double plays and committing no errors until the fourth inning. The momentum shifted in the fourth though when the Dawgs finally put two on the board thanks to Finn Sullivan’s single on a line drive to right field to bring home Vince Coker, and then Paxton Piccini stealing home. In the top of the sixth, the Dawgs tied up the game when Coker hit an RBI double to bring home Nick Stewart, Coker than scored on a defensive error, and Sullivan scored on a wild pitch. In the top of the seventh and final inning, Stewart hit the go-ahead on a hard ground ball to third baseman to bring home Caleb Zedek, and Coker hit a 2RBI single bringing home Keenan Mills and Stewart. Though there were many offensive game changers, the adage that defense wins championships was also present in this game too — the Dawgs committed very few errors all weekend and held the Stars to no runs in the bottom of the seventh to seal the championship with a final score of 8-5. 💥 Ayden Brown started on the mound and lasted four innings, striking out two. The southpaw Joshua Johnson made his pitching debut again this weekend after being on the injured list for a couple of tournaments; he got the win after three innings, also striking out two. Thank you to all of the parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends who love and support and encourage the IronDawgs players and coaches. And a huge thanks to the IronDawgs coaches who continue to hone the boys’ athletic skills, teach the boys smart baseball, and lead the team with integrity! What a weekend the Dawgs had in Boone!!! 🏆

Congrats to the Dawgs for winning game three of pool play this evening. It was a tough game, but they rallied from down by two to win it 9-5. 🙌🏼 Tomorrow they play in the semi-finals as the #1 seed at 11:20am at App State.

This weekend the 14u IronDawgs are in the high country playing in the 14u/15u Open “Dynamic Baseball Appalachian Championships” wood bat tournament. The Dawgs played two games today and came out strong, finishing the day 2-0. Hudson Kelly took the mound in game one on App State’s field against a team from Wake Forest, NC and he pitched a complete game to get the 9-1 win. His parents were obviously a little giddy 😂 (Go App!🖤💛). The bats were hot as Paxton Piccini led the team at the plate, and the team’s defense was strong behind Kelly. In game two, the Dawgs again took the win at Wilkes Central HS with a 7-2 finish playing a team from Knoxville, TN. The Dawgs play their final pool play game Saturday evening at 6:20pm at Wilkes Central High School. Bracket play commences on Sunday. Let’s go Dawgs!

The IronDawgs, this Father’s Day weekend, competed in the PerfectGame Wooden Bat Coastal State Major’s Championship. It was an interesting weekend of baseball for the Dawgs where only the top team of each pool group (38 teams, 9 pool groups) advanced to the Championship bracket, and unfortunately the Dawgs came up short. The Dawgs battled hard but finished pool play 0-2-1 and then finished today’s game with another draw to go 0-2-2 for the weekend. Some say there’s no crying in baseball, well I think there’s no tying in baseball 😉, but alas tournament schedules can’t wait for extra innings. Next stop for the IronDawgs: Boone, NC for the Dynamic Baseball Appalachian Championship. Let’s go Dawgs!

Happy Father’s Day to all of the IronDawgs dads and grandfathers, a.k.a., Big Dawgs and Grand Dawgs. 🐶 The boys would not be where they are today (on the ball field, of course 😊) without you! And happy father’s day to our wonderful coaches, Nik Pry, Franklin Reynoso, and Ryan Kelly, who are father-figures to all of our players. We are thankful for you all!

Congratulations to IronDawgs player Paxton Piccini for being named co-MVP of his Hawfields Middle School baseball team this week, and for also being awarded “The Dez Piccini Award,” an award established in memory of his brother in 2014 to honor a “Huskies athlete with heart, hard work, and dedication.” We are proud of you, Paxton!

The Dawgs got the win last Sunday 🙌🏼 and finished their PerfectGame weekend 2-1, which brings them to 6-2 for the season so far. Looking forward to playing in High Point in a couple weeks.

The IronDawgs finished their day 1-1 in pool play at the Perfect Game Youth Showcase Invitational (Majors division) in York, SC. Tomorrow kicks off bracket play. Let’s go, Dawgs!

We are proud of all of our IronDawgs players who wrapped up their school baseball seasons this past month! Here are just a few noteworthy accomplishments from our players:
🏆 Congrats to ID players Matthew Beaulieu and Nicholas Stewart for winning the Durham Athletic Conference Championship this year with their Rogers-Herr Middle School baseball team, and a special shout out to Matthew Beaulieu for being named Conference Champ MVP.
🏆 Congrats to ID player Joshua Johnson for being named GM Horton Middle School’s MVP in both baseball and basketball.
🏆 Congrats to ID player Finn Sullivan for winning the middle school, regular season, conference championship with his baseball team at Woods Charter School.
⚾️ Other schools where the IronDawgs successfully represented on the baseball field this spring: Githens Middle School, Lakewood Montessori Middle School, Hawfields Middle School, Trinity School of D/CH, Southern Alamance High School, and Williams High School. Way to go, Dawgs!

Impressive season opener for the IronDawgs.

FINAL UPDATE: The semi-final game went into extra innings and the Dawgs just barely came up short with a tough 5-4 loss. But this was one heckuva season opener for our IronDawgs! Five games within 36 hours and almost on to the sixth. Whew. Way to go, IronDawgs! 💙🐶💚

UPDATE #2: The Dawgs got the W in game two to advance to the semi-finals! They are currently playing SBA Nationals in Gastonia, NC. Keep pounding, Dawgs! 💪🏼 Follow along here: http://web.gc.com/teams/R3IZtlj4enOo/live

UPDATE #1: : The Dawgs got the W in game one today and advance to the quarterfinals! 💪🏼
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The IronDawgs are back on the field this weekend to kick off their summer season. Yesterday they took the field in York, SC for the PerfectGame Major Coastal Super Regional. In a field of 32 teams, the Dawgs finished the day seeded sixth after going 2-0 for the day. They collectively scored 14 runs and only allowed 5. This morning they are battling in the gold bracket in Mount Holly, NC. Let’s go Dawgs!!!

Proud of our assistant coach and amazing mentor to the IronDawgs players. Can't wait to see "Coach Pry" back on the field for UNC baseball this spring!

From The Fall Report 📂 Presented by Peak Events LLC

Nik Pry has taken another step heading into his 5th year for UNC.

Pry's signature pitch remains a nasty cutter at 84-86, but his FB also has elite spin rates — up into the 2600-2700s in my fall look — that makes it play up when he elevates it, which he is learning to do more than ever before.

🔗 https://d1ba.se/unc-fall22

The IronDawgs wrapped up their fall season this past weekend at the 14u Perfect Game Coastal Fall Wood Bat Challenge with games at Gardner-Webb University and Mountain Island Charter. Competition was tough, and we are proud of our Dawgs for playing hard until the soaking-wet, rain-delayed, bitter end... at least we were on turf and it was warm for November. The Dawgs went 2-2 over the weekend with a shut-out victory in game one, a resilient, almost come-back in game two, an impressive walk-off, "California," tie-breaker win in game three, and then the unfortunate super-soaker defeat in game four that truly tested their mental and physical toughness. As Coach Kelly said to the parents "seeing our boys be great teammates, hard workers, great sportsmen, and competitors is not to be overlooked, and I truly believe all of our boys grew to embody our slogan 'Iron Sharpens Iron, and so one man sharpens another' (Proverbs 27:17)." The team solidified their move upward this past year to D1/Majors division baseball and finished their fall season with a winning record of 10-8, a huge success! Big thanks to Manager Ryan Kelly, and Coaches Nik Pry and Cole Campanile, as well as the extremely supportive Dan Zedek for keeping operations smooth and families informed. Thank you to all of the parents for supporting, driving, feeding, entertaining, and loving these boys relentlessly through rain, cold, sunshine, and heat as they play baseball! Congrats on an excellent season, IronDawgs!

The IronDawgs took the field this weekend at the 2022 Perfect Game Dicks Sporting Goods Championship in Kernersville, NC. They went 3-1 for the weekend, but ended in the Gold Bracket final four on the wrong side of a walk-off defeat by the eventual tournament champs. Overall they outscored their opponents 2-1 over the course of four games and had multiple big hits with Nicholas Stewart and Hudson Kelly both hitting game changing doubles. Right hander Matthew Beaulieu set the tone for the weekend, and secured the first win, by pitching a complete game with an impressive 10 strike-outs, 74 strikes, and only walking 3. Way to battle, Dawgs!

The IronDawgs showed up BIG today at the Impact Baseball Atlantic Coast Championship tournament! The Dawgs finished their day of pool play with two impressive wins over their opponents having played games at Southern Alamance High School and UNC’s Boshamer Stadium. In game one, Ayden Brown toed the rubber and lasted four innings allowing no hits and striking out nine. Paxton Piccini, who came in as relief, also led the team with three hits to bolster the 10-2 win after five innings. In game two, southpaw Joshua Johnson pitched a complete game and “had all the right stuff” (thank you for that, GameChanger 😉) to seal the shut out 12-0 victory for the Dawgs. The Dawgs were sure handed for the day and committed no errors across both games. Every player contributed to today’s wins - there were many hits, RBIs, stolen bases, bang bang plays in the field, and even a perfect sac bunt to advance two runners... Well done, team! Tomorrow the IronDawgs play in the Championship bracket at the historic Durham Athletic Park (DAP), game times TBD.

The IronDawgs kicked off their new 14u baseball year this weekend at the Perfect Game Coastal Fall Invitational in Goldsboro, NC. The Dawgs worked hard and earned a place in the silver bracket Championship game this evening, but after a comeback by their opponents to force extra innings and then a walkoff run, the Dawgs took home second. We are proud of our IronDawgs for playing hard through pouring rain and hot sunshine this weekend at “the swamp!” Congratulations on your runners-up finish!! 🥈
< Photo from the semi-final game earlier today. >

Proud of our IronDawgs who participated last weekend in the Top Gun All American All Stars in Myrtle Beach!! 🇺🇸

This is so generous! Please join us in supporting Drew VanDine, a friend of SoDu Baseball Club, as he works to complete his Eagle Scout Project by building a floating deck to provide seating space at our training facility. The local American Legion Post 416, including its baseball team, youth baseball players from around the area, and our IronDawgs teams and their families will directly benefit from this project. Huge thanks to Drew, son of Laurie Williamson VanDine and Ken VanDine, for recognizing this need and for planning and executing a solution! You can contribute to the funds he needs to complete the project at this GoFundMe link.

Build A Floating Deck At the American Legion, organized by Andrew VanDine My name is Drew VanDine and this is my Eagle Scout Project! I am building… Andrew VanDine needs your support for Build A Floating Deck At the American Legion

Congrats to our Bull City Little League friends for winning the 12u State LL CHAMPIONSHIP today! Way to represent Durham and the State of NC!

We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions
OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After a fun and busy day yesterday in Omaha, including the SlumpBuster Festival and bat burning, the IronDawgs Grey team starts bracket play this morning in the D2 Gold Bracket 🙌🏼 against the Brighton Beast from Brighton, Colorado. Good luck, Dawgs!

The Dawgs went 1-1 yesterday in pool play and capped off their day at the College World Series! Today pool play continues as they face the Baden Black Sox from Renton, WA. Go, Dawgs!!

It’s the IronDawgs Grey team’s turn to take over Omaha!!! Our SlumpBuster grey team is a hybrid team of players from our grey and green rosters, and though they had a rocky start arriving in Omaha yesterday with mixed up hotel reservations and a canceled flight 😫, they are rubbing some dirt in their logistical wounds and kicking off tournament play this morning!! First they take on Team KC White from Leawood, Kansas and then they play the SoCo Rangers from Pueblo, Colorado. Let’s go, Dawgs!! You’ve got this!!

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One of the great highlights of IronDawgs playing SlumpBuster baseball in Omaha is getting to attend the Men’s College World Series. Though our home state teams didn’t advance this far (Go Heels! Go Pirates!), we were thrilled to see Notre Dame play Texas in game 2 and Oklahoma in game 6.

After a hard fought battle this morning, the IronDawgs Navy came up a tad short today on the field against a tough team from Texas, but they made us so proud!! We were the only team here representing the State of North Carolina, and every single one of these boys and their coaches gave their ALL this weekend! They played their best baseball of the year here showing strength, determination, integrity, and heart. We are so proud of our IronDawgs!

Out of 92 teams from around the country, the Navy Dawgs finished their Omaha SlumpBuster pool play in the #1 spot of their pool and are seeded #15 overall. This puts the IronDawgs into the top level bracket “D1 Platinum Championship” starting tomorrow! The team kicks it off against the Lynx-Black of Houston, Texas at 8am (CDT). Good luck, IronDawgs!

Congratulations to South Durham Little League’s Texas Rangers (A division) for taking home Durham’s coveted Mayor’s Cup! SoDu Baseball Club and all of the IronDawgs are proud of your success! Way to go, Rangers!

Congrats to the A Mayor's Cup Champs - the Texas Rangers sponsored by SODU Baseball Club!

The Navy IronDawgs were ALL IN today with an epic day of baseball! The Dawgs brought home two more big WINS and are now 3-0 in the tournament. There were several really big plays today that made lifetime memories (too many to list them all here), but three major highlights definitely worth mentioning: (1) An epic GRAND SLAM home run by Ayden Brown, (2) An extremely athletic, diving, SNOW CONE, catch by Caleb Zedek to secure the game winning out, and (3) A super-reflexive and quick GLOVE FLIP by pitcher Paxton Piccini to third baseman Luke Samples to end an inning. The athleticism these players are showing here in Omaha is truly outstanding, and we are so so proud of them all! It was a hot day (not just our bats 😉) so these photos for attention grabbers will have to do. 😂 Add some more pics/videos, Dawg Pound, since I know you’ve got some good ones!