Columbia County Recreation Department officials said the county’s 11- and 12-year-old All-Stars qualified for a World Series tournament this year — the first time Columbia County has reached that stage in seven years.

The accomplishment capped a season the team’s coach said began in mid-May. "It's been a lot of fun. We've been working since, mid May. This is the second time I've been able to coach for us last year. We were 1 game short from winning state, and so it's been a huge huge accomplishment for us and a lot of fun being able to coach my son and a lot of boys that I've been coaching for the last 6, 7 years," a coach for the Columbia County Recreation Department said.

The tournament appearance has drawn excitement from players and families. "I'm really excited to go because it's been a really long time since Columbia County has got to go as a county, and it's gonna be a really cool experience," one player said. Another player described the immediate stakes for the team: "The boys are hoping to win at least 1 game this weekend, so then they can miss school the first week to try to win a World Series for Columbia County because it's been, quite some time since we've done that."

Players said pool-play results will determine seeding for the bracket. One player outlined the team’s expectations for the weekend and opponents from other states, and said, "we're looking forward to having fun with my friends and seeing all the different states that we get to face."

The discussion in the provided transcript was descriptive: team members and a coach reflected on preparation, last season’s near miss at the state championship, and hopes for pool play and the bracket. No formal actions or decisions were recorded in the transcript segment.

The county’s Recreation Department did not provide dates, opponent names or a tournament schedule in the transcript provided. Officials and players said the team has been training since mid-May and referenced last year’s finish as "1 game short" of a state title.