The pitcher

Look at him go...

My Pitcher

Look who's pitching...

Dierker's Champs

I love these boys!

Dierker's Champs

I love these boys!  They are such a great group of friends!  It is so much fun to watch them grow and improve each year!

Still Champs

The team played 6 games in a tournament this weekend, and lost by one in the championship game last night. It was a weekend full of baseball!

Another Tournament, Another Trophy

Chase's team earned their trophies last weekend!  It was either rainy or HOT for every game! 

They won all 5 games they played!

 The trophies have taken over Chase's room!  It's time for a new plan!

Random Baseball Pics

Our season is over, but I wanted to share a few highlights!

our favorite coach

prayer before the game

 Thomas had some great hits...including one homerun

 Iron Pigs receive their trophies for the season

 Missed him...Thomas, that is

our fearless leader

 Chase had some awesome hits, too including a few homeruns!

Baseball

Gavin, Chase, and Griffin gearing up for a game!

Tournament Champs

Thomas' team won the tournament!!!

It was a LONG weekend with two games on Saturday, and then THREE back-to-back games from 11:00 until 5:00 Sunday!  The boys were exhausted, but they did it!

 Thomas played several positions, but he finished up at catcher, which is his favorite position to play! He got a homerun in the second game on Sunday. 

 Ray C. got the boys together just before going out...all we need is to hold them to one run and we WIN!

 You have never seen a happier group of boys...as Ray C. called them...a rag-tag group of players!  We have one that does back flips when he makes a good play, one who jumps up and down on base after getting a hit, one who stresses about every play, and a few who watch the birds in the outfield!

 So proud to have their Tournament Champion Trophies.  I would be willing to bet some of them slept with them last night! :)

Again..nothing is better than winning a game with your dad as the coach!

9U Baseball Tournament

This weekend is Thomas' baseball tournament.  Today, they won their first game and tied the second game.  So, we play again tomorrow to see how we advance!

 Jessie and Mommy had to get some pictures with the baseball player!  Isn't he a cutie?

 This is one of Thomas' teammates, Kenneth!  I just love watching him play.  He is never lacking emotion - good or bad!  He is full of personality and absolutely loves to play baseball!

 Team meeting after our tied game which, of course, felt like a loss...Antonio, Cameron, and Thomas.

Here's another one of Thomas' teammates, Chris.  He has a lot of fun out on the field, too!  

We're looking forward to see how we do tomorrow!  

"Champs" show Great Sportsmanship

Anyone who knows us well knows that Dierker's Champs has been a HUGE part of our lives for the past year!  Ray C., Larry Dierker, and numerous others have worked hard on creating this organization where boys can learn great baseball skills in an environment that is encouraging and inspiring to those we play.  

Last night was a great example of how that is done!

 The championship game started out with both teams praying together at second base.

 The game was a nail biter...literally!  The boys were so nervous...not by any of the adult's doing, just because they love it and it's important to them.  Chase took BP (bating practice) before we left and once he got to the field.  He could hardly breath when he got up to bat and had to step out of the box several times to take a deep breath.  I teared up just watching his stress level, but once Ray C. reminded him of all the line drives he's had this year, he relaxed a little and hit in several more!!  We tied up almost every inning, but we came up short at the end and lost by one run.  

 The boys were disappointed at the loss, but they knew they had played their best.  They gladly took their runners-up trophies and congratulated the other team on their win.

 My favorite part, because DC is so important to us, was when the other coach stood up and commented on how impressed he had been all season with our team's "class" and the coaches' ability to control themselves.  He even said he wished he could do that good.

 The boys huddled up with Coach Ray who congratulated them on a great season and hard work.

 Then, they begged to dog pile...after all that is what they did after their football games!  

Nothing beats being able to share the season with your dad coaching!  

Moms vs. Mudcats

  On Sunday, the moms played ball against the Dierker's Champs Mudcats (Chase's team).  It was pretty funny, and most of us had fun.  However, the boys were not very happy when we got them out!  Luckily, they won!

 The boys were nice enough to downgrade to a duct tape wrapped wiffle ball so as not to hurt us! :)

Astros Up Close

We had the opportunity to hang out with some former Astros players on Sunday at the game. We got tickets to sit in the private suite that the alumni were hanging out in. It was really neat to talk with some of them.


















Thomas has a ball covered with autographs from former players including Larry Dierker whose jersey is even retired with the Astros and who also happens to be a member of our church and the reason we were there anyway! :)



















Larry was asked to give an inspirational speech after the game and to introduce the Christian band, Mercy Me, for a concert. So, we got to walk out on the field with him and hang out in the dugout for a little while.



















How cool is that??? Of course, the dugout was nasty with sunflower seeds, drink cups, and spit everywhere, but we were excited to be down there! (That's Larry's wife, Judy, sitting with us.)


















The supply box in the dugout....plenty of tape, seeds, and gum!


















He looks like a natural, huh?














Mercy Me walked right past us and down into the dugout with us just before going out to play.


















I got my picture taken with one of my favorite baseball players while we were there! :)