William Edwards is a member of the Hills team making a second consecutive trip to Taylor, Michigan, for the Junior League World Series and will be taking you on the journey with him!
Diary #9
We had an early start today and got to spend it mostly with our parents. Some boys went back to the hotel to sleep whilst others went out and continued their shopping.
A number of the boys returned to the hotel around 4 before heading out to a local sports park at 5.
We took batting practice, hit out on the driving range and went go karting.
After we headed home to get ready to go out to dinner, before returning one last time to the famous Walmart.
We then headed home to get a good nights sleep before our scrimmage against the Chicago team tomorrow morning.
We had an early start today and got to spend it mostly with our parents. Some boys went back to the hotel to sleep whilst others went out and continued their shopping.
A number of the boys returned to the hotel around 4 before heading out to a local sports park at 5.
We took batting practice, hit out on the driving range and went go karting.
After we headed home to get ready to go out to dinner, before returning one last time to the famous Walmart.
We then headed home to get a good nights sleep before our scrimmage against the Chicago team tomorrow morning.
Diary #8
Today we had an early start and got to go out with our parents for a while.
We visited some outlets and other shops. The boys had to be returned to the hotel before 1 o’clock as we had a team commitment that we had to attend.
All of the competing teams here at the JLWS got to visit an arcade called ‘Dave and Busters.’
Here in the US it is a big arcade that is highly popular, it was a great experience.
From here we got a bus to Toledo to see a Mud Hens game (AAA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.)
It was a very enjoyable game that finished up with Toledo winning 4-1.
It was great to watch many up coming prospects. We then headed home for a good nights rest.
Diary #7 - Game four against Mexico
We got to have another sleep in today before our game against Mexico to decided who would face Chinese Taipei in the International Championship game on Saturday.
We went over to Denny's to have breakfast before going out to visit Detroit.
We went on a drive to 8 mile road to visit where Eminem grew up.
Whilst also checking out what else Detroit has to offer.
We then headed home to get ready for our game. Our game time start was pushed back due to rain, so we arrived at the field at around 6 o'clock.
We took batting practice and went through our normal routine however it wasn't our day again.
We made consistent hard contact throughout the game but just couldn't come up clutch when we needed to, going down to Mexico 7-2.
We were all quite disappointed with our performance on the day however we are still proud of what we managed to accomplish during our time at the JLWS.
Mexico will now face Chinese Taipei in the International Championship game on Saturday.
DIARY #6 - Game three
Today we got to have another sleep in and late breakfast before we went out to visit some shops and grab some lunch.
After we had lunch we headed to the field to watch some of the other games that were taking place around the field.
After a while we headed back to the hotel to get ready and prepared for our big game against Chinese Taipei.
For us it was our third game and for them their 2nd with a lot at stake.
We prepared well taking a strong session of infield outfield and a solid BP session however it just wasn't our day.
We lost 10-0 in a fairly one sided game. However we did threaten early on, we consistently made hard contact but just straight to fielders.
Unfortunately it just wasn't our day but the boys were still in a good positive mood. We are looking forward for round 2 tomorrow against Mexico.
We finished off a disappointing day with dinner with our parents before heading home for a good nights rest.
Today we got to have another sleep in and late breakfast before we went out to visit some shops and grab some lunch.
After we had lunch we headed to the field to watch some of the other games that were taking place around the field.
After a while we headed back to the hotel to get ready and prepared for our big game against Chinese Taipei.
For us it was our third game and for them their 2nd with a lot at stake.
We prepared well taking a strong session of infield outfield and a solid BP session however it just wasn't our day.
We lost 10-0 in a fairly one sided game. However we did threaten early on, we consistently made hard contact but just straight to fielders.
Unfortunately it just wasn't our day but the boys were still in a good positive mood. We are looking forward for round 2 tomorrow against Mexico.
We finished off a disappointing day with dinner with our parents before heading home for a good nights rest.
DIARY #5 - MLB experience
Today we had a quiet day after our stressful win against Canada yesterday.
After breakfast we got to go out and spend the day with our parents.
Although most of the boys ended up at another Dick's Sporting Good's store before heading to the local outlets.
At around 5 o'clock the boys assembled back at the hotel as we prepared to leave for a Detroit Tigers vs Chicago White Sox game.
First pitch was at 7:10pm, and it was a very competitive game.
There were many hits and homeruns, and the final score ended up a 6-3 loss for the home town Detroit team.
Although it was a great experience for all the boys and their parents.
We then headed home to the hotel to get a good nights rest before our big game against Chinese Taipei tomorrow.
Today we had a quiet day after our stressful win against Canada yesterday.
After breakfast we got to go out and spend the day with our parents.
Although most of the boys ended up at another Dick's Sporting Good's store before heading to the local outlets.
At around 5 o'clock the boys assembled back at the hotel as we prepared to leave for a Detroit Tigers vs Chicago White Sox game.
First pitch was at 7:10pm, and it was a very competitive game.
There were many hits and homeruns, and the final score ended up a 6-3 loss for the home town Detroit team.
Although it was a great experience for all the boys and their parents.
We then headed home to the hotel to get a good nights rest before our big game against Chinese Taipei tomorrow.
DIARY #4 - Game two
Today we had a late start after a long night last night.
We went and visited the Mall again, and grabbed some lunch before our game.
We left for the field at around 3 o'clock to take some early batting practice and fielding work.
The starting pitcher for our game against Canada was Harrison Wheeldon who pitched a total of 4 innings en route to our 14-9 win.
It was a very back and forth game with Australia taking an early lead before falling behind later on.
We rallied back and pulled together as a team to end up winning the game.
I came on in relief of Harrison and was quite nervous at the time.
We ended up going to extra innings which became very stressful at certain times.
Overall we played a quality game of baseball and look forward to our next game against Chinese Taipei.
We concluded our night with dinner with our parents at Buffalo Wild Wings, before returning to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
Today we had a late start after a long night last night.
We went and visited the Mall again, and grabbed some lunch before our game.
We left for the field at around 3 o'clock to take some early batting practice and fielding work.
The starting pitcher for our game against Canada was Harrison Wheeldon who pitched a total of 4 innings en route to our 14-9 win.
It was a very back and forth game with Australia taking an early lead before falling behind later on.
We rallied back and pulled together as a team to end up winning the game.
I came on in relief of Harrison and was quite nervous at the time.
We ended up going to extra innings which became very stressful at certain times.
Overall we played a quality game of baseball and look forward to our next game against Chinese Taipei.
We concluded our night with dinner with our parents at Buffalo Wild Wings, before returning to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
DIARY #3 - Game one
Today we had an early breakfast before practice at a local high school.
We took batting practice and did some fielding work before our game against Italy.
After practice we went home for quick shower and swim before going to visit the famous Walmart.
We then headed home to get ready for our game.
We spent the next few hours relaxing before our game.
We at the field around six where we took BP before some more fielding practice.
The game concluded around 11:30pm with us winning 7-5, in a tight contest between the team from Italy.
We then headed to Macca's before heading home to have a shower and get a good nights sleep.
DIARY #2 - Opening Ceremony
Today we had a late breakfast and got to sleep in after our long day of travel.
We had breakfast before heading to the field to get our uniforms. After receiving our new uniforms we went to a local baseball field to have a light workout prior to our game tomorrow against Italy.
We then went back to the hotel to get ready for a short shopping trip.
We visited the famous Dick's Sporting Goods as well as South Gate mall.
We then went home to prepare for the opening ceremony which featured the welcoming of all participants in the 2018 JLWS.
The night concluded with a short firework display. We then headed home for dinner and settled in for the night.
DIARY #1 - And we're off!
We arrived at Sydney Airport at 6am eager to begin our journey to Detroit for the Junior League World Series.
The first section of our flight included a 16 hour trip to Houston, where we had a 2 hour layover before our next flight to Detroit.
We arrived to our hotel at around 4:30pm Detroit time, before we went to check out the field and have a small barbecue.
In this time we met some of the other times whilst also checking out the field where we would be playing the next few days.
After dinner we went back to the hotel to relax after a long day of travelling.