The 8u age groups saw some really outstanding performances by numerous teams. Fortunately, many of these teams got to battle in out on the field. While there might be a distinction between the teams who utilize a machine pitcher versus a coach pitcher, we chose to not draw a distinction between these teams in our rankings. Here we've highlighted some of the accomplishments of the teams throughout the year. Congratulations to all teams.
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West Raleigh Blue
In the fall of 2017, West Raleigh Blue was one of the top 10 teams in the state, despite limited play, going 11-1 in Top Gun play including a tournament win at the Top Gun Winter World Series. After completing their recreation season this spring, they picked up right where they left off, going 29-2 this spring, including a win over #2 Dirtbags Black, 2 wins over previous #1 Carolina Threshers, a win over #9 NCDB Rivercats, and 3 wins over #11 Youngsville Phantoms. Their only losses came against #6 South Charlotte Cardinals and the Phipps Park All-Stars (FL). -
Dirtbags Black
Dirtbags Black was on of the top competitors in the 8u age group throughout the 2017-2018 seasons. They, perhaps more than any other team in this age group, played up in the 9u kid pitch age group and saw some of the best competition in the state. As best we can tell they finished 37-15 across all competition, with 5 of their losses coming at the 9u level. The race for #2 tightened throughout the spring, however the Dirtbags finished 2-1 this spring against #3 Carolina Threshers, including winning the two most recent games, and also gave #1 West Raleigh Blue their only loss of the fall. We felt that was enough to push the Dirtbags into the #2 spot. -
Carolina Threshers
The Threshers posted one of the top records in the entire state across any age group, going 24-1 in the fall and and 25-4 this spring to finish 49-5 overall. They were #1 in our rankings for much of the season and scored a win at the Triple Crown Border Wars which highlighted their spring. Their record reached 41-1 before an 8-4 finish to the spring including a loss to #1 West Raleigh Blue and two losses to #2 Dirtbags Black dropped them to #3 in our rankings.
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Lake Norman Vipers
The Lake Norman Vipers also posted an outstanding record in 8u play this season, going 24-2 this spring and 48-5 overall across Top Gun and USSSA play. Remarkably, they've won their last 27 games in Top Gun play. Although their competition level wasn't at the same level as the teams ranked above them, they did score an impressive win this spring over the Tega Cay Titans (SC), a team who beat both #2 Dirtbags Black and #3 Carolina Threshers this spring. -
East Rowan
East Rowan posted an impressive 28-3 record across Top Gun, USSSA, and AAU play this past year. Amongst their 28 wins included 3 wins over the Tega Cay Titans (SC), and wins over #6 South Charlotte Cardinals, #8 Carolina Vandals, #10 Spartans - Allen, and #14 Venom Stars. In addition, their 3 losses came against ranked with two losses coming against the South Charlotte Cardinals and one coming against #11 Youngsville Phantoms.
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South Charlotte Cardinals
The Cardinals posted a 27-9-1 record this spring and a 41-11-1 record overall this year. They were the only North Carolina team to defeat #1 West Raleigh Blue this spring and also scored 3 wins against #5 East Rowan. Their competition level was not as high as the teams above them, but they posted some impressive wins and an overall impressive record to earn our #6 ranking. -
Reidsville Luckies
The Luckies posted a 34-14-1 record across USSSA and AAU play this past year. Their spring was highlighted by a recent tournament win at the USSSA Atlantic Coast World Series in which they defeated #12 Summerfield Stars and #14 Venom Stars twice. They also posted two wins over #8 Carolina Vandals, a win over#10 Spartans - Allen, and 4 other wins over the Summerfield Stars this spring.
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Carolina Vandals
The Vandals went 43-12 across USSSA and AAU play this past year. They scored numerous wins over other top 15 teams, including a win over #6 South Charlotte Cardinals, two wins over #10 Spartans - Allen, a win over #12 Summerfield Stars, two wins over #15 Southwest Colts, and a win over #14 Venom Stars.
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NCDB Rivercats
The NCDB Rivercats turned out to be one of big surprises of the spring. After going 7-8 in the fall, they were not ranked heading into the spring season. They turned out to be one of the most competitive teams in the state this spring, going 24-10 to finish at 31-18 overall. Along the way, they scored wins over #11 Youngsville Phantoms (x3) and #13 Dirtbags East and had an 11-game winning streak. -
Spartans - Allen
The Spartans played their primary competition in AAU play and posted an impressive 26-11 record overall. Among their 26 wins, they scored a win over #7 Reidsville Luckies, 3 wins over #8 Carolina Vandals, two wins over #12 Summerfield Stars, 5 wins over #15 Southwest Colts, and a win over #14 Venom Stars.
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Youngsville Phantoms
The Youngsville Phantoms finished 38-21 across USSSA, AAU, and Top Gun competitions this past year. Most notably, the Phantoms scored a tournament win at the USSSA Beast of the East including two wins over #6 South Charlotte Cardinals and a win over #5 East Rowan along the way. They also notched two wins over #9 NCDB Rivercats this spring.
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Summerfield Stars
The Summerfield Stars finished an impressive 37-15-1 across USSSA and AAU competition this past year. Along the way, they scored multiple wins over top 15 teams. This included two wins over #7 Reidsville Luckies, a win over #8 Carolina Vandals, a win over #10 Spartans - Allen, a win over #15 Southwest Colts, and a win over #14 Venom Stars.
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Dirtbags East
Dirtbags East (previously the Southern Pitt Stix) went 16-10 this spring and 12-7 in the fall to finish 28-17 overall, including 24-19 in Top Gun play. They posted some impressive wins over the past year including a win over #2 Dirtbags Black and a win over #11 Youngsville Phantoms.
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Venom Stars
The Venom Stars are one of the most recent additions to our top 15 8u teams. They finished 33-14 overall this past year and posted an impressive run to the finals at the USSSA Atlantic Coast World Series. They also recently scored a win over #15 Southwest Colts in AAU play.
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Southwest Colts
The Southwest Colts played primarily within AAU, and posted a 24-19 record. They played numerous top 15 teams throughout the fall and spring and scored 3 wins over #10 Spartans - Allen, a win over #12 Summerfield Stars, and a win over #14 Venom Stars.