The newly-formed Suncoast Vipers youth baseball team earned a championship trophy in its first travel ball tournament April 7 in Tampa.  Manager Rick Earley and coaches Terry Mohr, Dave Wonch and Jimmy Parasco went into the tournament with high expectations for the Vipers team, comprised mostly of 11-year-old Dunedin players.  And they say the boys delivered on their dream of winning their first-ever tournament. The Vipers won the semifinal 5-4 beating the Riverview Cyclones in a nail-biter and then won the championship in another close fought 5-4 win against the Lakewood Ranch Marauders. …

The Dunedin Celtic girls looked like tiny Olympic champions when they went before City of Dunedin officials March 21. All 14 girls in the under 11 competitive Dunedin Stirling Soccer Club league wore their bright green uniforms, medals proudly hung around their necks.  The girls were recognized for taking first place in the 2013 Gator Soccer Showcase Tournament in Gainesville, Gator Division, without allowing a single goal and winning 2-0 in the finals. And "most recently they made the regency semi finals and a chase for Florida's President's Cup in the premiere division," Mike Haber, vice …

The District 12 all stars played their way into the Big League World Series in Easley, SC. The team was comprised of players from Dunedin, Clearwater, Largo and Palm Harbor. They represented Florida and the southeastern United States in Easley from July 26 to their final game on July 30. Coaches included: Matt Morrow, Donny Schnitzhofer, Alex Libby and Cameron Oxiner. See All Related Coverage: Players Grab Bibles, Bats in Big League World Series Big League Visits Shriners Hospitals For Children Team Bus Breaks Down on Way to Big League World Series All-Stars Drop Big League World Series …

A bus breakdown on Monday did anything but prevent the District 12 Big League All-Stars from spreading goodwill during their World Series trip. The Distict 12 team — comprised of players from Dunedin, Largo, Clearwater and Palm Harbor — spent Tuesday autographing baseballs for young patients at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville, SC, which is about 11 miles from where they are staying in Easley.  Shriners Hosptials for Children specializes in pediatric burn care, cleft lip and palate, and orthopaedic and neuromusculoskeletal disorders, diseases and injuries. The District 12 host …

Some Dunedin ball players can officially be called state champions. The District 12 Big League All-Stars took the Florida state championship after a well-fought tournament in Fort Myers last weekend. Now the team heads to Fort Lauderdale this weekend to represent Florida against state champions from across the southeast — all for a shot at the Big League World Series. The District 12 All-Star team is made up of 15 of the best players from the 16-18-year-old division of Dunedin, Largo and Clearwater Little Leagues. At least 12 of them came up through Greater Dunedin Little League over the …

Competing in the USSSA Spring Showcase Baseball Championship last weekend in Oldsmar, the Dunedin Diamondbacks boys' 13-and-under team bounced back from a slow start to the weekend. After a disappointing loss in pool play against the Tampa Terror Blue on Friday, and a tough loss to the Phantoms on Saturday, the Diamondbacks pulled it together in elimination play, following up a first place USSSA Battle to the Bone Championship at Canal Park with a first place championship win in just its second season as a club. Led by the pitching of Jack Clemons and Erik Freeman, the Diamondbacks defeated a…

Editor's Note: This game report was submitted by winning coach Rich Earley, coach of the Dunedin Mets, for their performance in the Greater Largo Little League 2012 AAA Spring Classic Baseball Invitational Tournament Championship from March 15-18. The Invitational featured 29 teams from Largo, Clearwater, West Pinellas, Countryside, Holiday and Dunedin.  Dunedin entered six teams and all six teams was among the eight quarterfinalists. The Dunedin Mets won both their pool play games, and then in the playoff rounds went 4-0 to win the championship with a 6-0 record. In the semifinal game the …

The Dunedin Diamondback boys’ 13-and-under baseball travel team earned a championship title at the Battle to the Bone III USSSA Baseball Tournament in Oldsmar over the weekend. The Diamondbacks team is in its first full year as a travel baseball club. The team took second place in Nation’s Baseball Florida State Tournament in December. The team's overall record is 10-14. The following is Manager Rick Kroeger's account of the tournament weekend: Battle to the Bone Pool Play The Diamondbacks bounced back from a slow start. The first game in pool play started with a disappointing 7-3 loss …

The Dunedin Diamondback 13-and-under team came from behind to finish second in Nations Baseball Florida State Championships in Clearwater last weekend (Dec. 3-4). "I was very proud to see our team rebound after losing the pool play game on Saturday morning," said manager Rick Kroeger. "The boys really pulled together to beat some very good teams." The D-backs didn't let an early Raiders' (North Tampa) lead set the tone of their their championship match-up. The score was 6-0 at the end of the first inning, but in the third inning, the D-Backs rallied, coming within a run to the Raiders (6-5). …