Little League, Big Fun! – Red Bluff All-Stars Make It To State

While other 12-year-old boys were relaxing poolside this summer, the Red Bluff Little League All-Star baseball players were honing their skills, practicing six days a week and ending their season at the Little League Northern California Division Tournament in Stockton, more commonly referred to as “State.”

The All-Star team consists of the best players from the league each year, chosen for their skills and love of the game. The team has players ages 11-12 and many are within their last eligible year for Little League.

This year’s team included players Blake Tweedt, Bryce Tweedt, Chamberlin Turnbow, Jakob Fregoso, Kurtis Rodriguez, Luke Arvig, Christopher Huhn, Garrett Freeman, Bryan Acree, Jordan Shank, Logan Carver and Justin Hinkston. The team was managed by Vince Rodriguez, and coached by Wes Arvig, Rob Huhn and Randy Fregoso.

“The boys are pretty close. They hang out together; they like each other,” says team manager Vince Rodriguez, “This was their summer vacation and they liked spending it out there together,” he says.

The team worked all summer toward their goals, hoping to make it to the Little League World Series, and conquered opening games within the District 1 Tournament held in Red Bluff. Their momentum continued into the Sections tournament, held in Chico, where they dominated largely due to their dynamic skill-sets, which allowed for flexibility in position placement.

“What’s really unique about our boys is that we can move and plug kids in all over the place as needed – we had to do that a lot. Kids that might play centerfield, by the time we got done, were playing shortstop,” says Rodriguez.

“We’re trying to get the kids ready for when they get to high school and beyond. The more positions a player can play, the more opportunity he’s going to have in the future,” Rodriguez added.

Following their undefeated run at Sections, the boys headed to the Northern California State Tournament where they were one of seven teams competing from Northern California and one of less than 20 teams in California as a whole. These teams were from larger areas and were very strong competitors, Rodriguez says.

After holding the majority of Game 1 at a score of 0-0, the opposing team, Cambrian Park of San Jose, CA, scored two home runs and shut out the All-Stars with a score of 6-0.

“Our first game we came out against the team that ended up winning the tournament … they were an awesome team,” says Rodriquez. “They were big and strong. As you can imagine there were a lot of kids to choose from in San Jose, and they were very talented.”

“Our boys never give up, that’s one of the things that they’ve learned playing baseball,” Rodriguez explains. “We say: ‘you’re going to compete every pitch and every out of each game.’  Whether we’re winning or losing we’re going to compete the whole time.”

Throughout the 11 games of the competing season, the players had stand out moments, including six home runs from player Chamberlin Turnbow, 12, who was a newcomer to the team.

“I feel like I played my best,” Turnbow says. “I just kept on trying harder and harder.”

The Red Bluff Little League All-Stars have wrapped their season and relish the fact that they played to an audience of over 400 people and worked hard against stiff competition.

Coach Rodriguez credits the team’s success each year to the supportive parents that dedicate their time, all year long, to helping their children thrive. “Whether they’re playing catch with them, throwing for batting practice, or making sure they are getting their homework done so they are eligible to play, it’s more than just the players,” Rodriguez says. “It’s a family commitment.”