Hastings Little League receives proper sendoff - KSNB Local 4

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HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) - The Hastings Five Points seniors may be looking to keep their regional postseason hopes alive in the Mid South Regional at Duncan Field, but the Hastings Little League team is just getting started for their regional postseason action.

On Thursday, the team shipped off to Indianapolis for the Midwest Regional as the Nebraska State Champion, and they had an entire community of supporters see them off.

“It means a lot,” said left fielder Ben Wibbels. “It means a lot to the team that people care this much about us going to the Little League World Series and all the parents going to see us.”

After winning the Nebraska State Little League Championship, a bunch of 12-year-old baseball players turned into fundraisers, and through knocking on doors and creating a GoFundMe page, the Hastings Little Leaguers raised more than $40,000 for their trip to Indy.

“It was overwhelming, the response we got from the community, and not just money, but verbal response and people reaching out and the stories that we’ve heard of people that have been around this town of baseball a lot longer than I’ve been alive,” said Hastings Little League Head Coach Dustin Rader.

With funding in tow and the bags packed, the team shipped off for Indiana Thursday, but not without a little fanfare first. The Hastings community held a sendoff at Lochland Country Club just north of town, and it included a visit from the Hastings Five Points seniors who are in the midst of their own busy week.

“That’s just a testament to where it’s at,” Rader said when referencing the state of Hastings baseball. “From guys who have already gone through the program the last few years to the ones that are there now to the ones up and coming - once you start that, it’s easier to carry on than it is to start.”

So, minus a few stops along the way - like one where the team visited the Lincoln Saltdogs at Haymarket Park in Lincoln - it’s all about baseball for the Hastings Little League team, and they’re ready for each team’s best shot this weekend.

“We’re expecting to see the best from these states,” Rader said. “We’re more worried about us knowing we’re going to see their best so let’s show them ours.”

“I think we just gotta go out there and out-compete people and we have a chance,” said right fielder Jude Johnson.

We did also ask coach Rader about the tight rope of a walk it will be to deal with COVID protocols while in Indianapolis, and he said he’s confident in his team’s ability to stay safe and stay healthy. He said he and the team feel fortunate to be from Central Nebraska, where restrictions aren’t as severe.

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August 06, 2021 at 11:50AM
https://www.ksnblocal4.com/2021/08/06/hastings-little-league-receives-proper-sendoff/

Hastings Little League receives proper sendoff - KSNB Local 4

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