Daniel Kerrigan, the shortstop for the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority’s 8-year-old All-Stars, throws the ball to first after stepping on second for a force out during practice on Monday at Vallotton Park.

The 8-year-old All-Star team from the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority’s youth league is preparing to compete in the Dizzy Dean Baseball state tournament this week.

The 8-year-old coach-pitch state baseball tournament begins on Thursday at Freedom Park in Valdosta, and will last until July 10.

“I think the boys are ready,” said Dan Kerrigan, the head coach of the Valdosta team. “I’m pleased with these players, and I’m pleased with our coaching staff.”

The 8-year-old All-Star team from Valdosta calls  itself the Blazers, in honor of Valdosta State. Kerrigan played baseball at VSU in the late 1990s.

The members of the Blazers are: Matt Pearson, Mason Steel, Labryn Depta, Cash Phillips, Wyatt Crosby, Nate Bowman, Lamonte Lindon, Ryan Flint, Colson Moody, Joel Michael Presley, Kyler Oathout and Daniel Kerrigan. The players were chosen by the coaches from the VLPRA’s 8-under coach-pitch league.

The Blazers’ coach says the team has improved since it began practicing last month.

“I think we’ve made great progress,” Coach Kerrigan said. “We got back to the fundamentals early, and I think that’s always a great place to start. No one’s ever too seasoned to not (improve their) fundamentals. We’re now starting to work on building team unity and these players being able to work together. I’m very pleased with our progress, and I feel like we’re on track to be successful.”

“You can tell that the boys really enjoy the game, you can tell the coaches really enjoy the game and that the parents really love their boys, because they’re out here to support them,” he added. “I think they’ve all really meshed well. You’re taking boys from different teams, you’re putting them together and the one thing they understood from Day 1 is we’re now (one team). I think they’ve adapted well to the All-Star mentality, where they’ve got to mesh and jell together to be successful.”

The Blazers have already qualified for the Dizzy Dean World Series, which will be held later this month in Southaven, Miss. But the team still wants to have a strong showing in the state tournament before heading to Mississippi.

“We want to earn that trip,” Kerrigan said.

Kerrigan believes he has a lineup filled with boys who can hit the ball.

“I actually think (our hitting) is a strength,” he said. “I think from the top to the bottom of the lineup, we can put the barrel on the ball. (We want to) do that on a consistent basis. The things we look to do are hit the ball hard and hit it where it’s pitched and drive the baseball. I think we’ve done that quite well.”

Kerrigan thinks that defense will be very important in the state tournament.

“I always tell the boys that defense and baserunning are what win these type of ball games at this age level,” he said. “We probably practice defense more than anything else. It’s a strength that we have. (There is) a big focus there. … It’s important that we prevent runs.”