This summer as of this writing, not one, not two, but three Dixie youth teams from the Heart of Virginia have become state champions and earned the right to represent Virginia at their respective World Series tournaments.

We would like to congratulate the Prince Edward-Farmville Youth Association (PEFYA) Debs for repeating as undefeated state champions and returning to Alexandria, Louisiana for their World Series tournament. Nine of the 12 girls on the roster were members of last year’s Debs squad. Manager David Schmidt has led the team well this year. It faces North Carolina in its first World Series game Saturday.

Buckingham County Youth League (BCYL) Major League All-Star Manager Ben Gormus noted that his squad this year is the first in the history of Buckingham Dixie Youth Baseball Majors All-Star teams to ever advance to a World Series. We congratulate the BCYL Majors, led well by Gormus. The team went 5-0 at its state tournament after a 4-1 run in its district tourney and has booked its ticket to Oxford, Alabama, where it will first face Arkansas on Aug. 5.

The PEFYA Ponytails All-Stars have been dominant all summer, going 3-0 in their district tournament and 5-0 in their state tournament to advance to the Dixie Softball Ponytails X-Play World Series in Sumter, South Carolina. Ten of the girls on the team made it to the Angels World Series two years ago. We congratulate the PEFYA Ponytails and the leadership of their manager, Larry Conwell. They will face South Carolina on Saturday.