Columbus Day Champions —
10YO Storm and 9YO Storm Place First at the Sam Fox Fall Classic
Pictured: 10YO Storm, 9YO Storm and 11YO Aces with their Columbus Day weekend tournament trophies.
Columbus Day weekend was filled with success for ABR Travel teams competing in multiple tournaments in different states. But, it was 10YO Storm and 9YO Storm who had championship wins right here in Arlington, Virginia. 11YO Storm, 10YO Storm, 10YO Aces, 9YO Storm and 9YO Aces all competed in The Sam Fox Fall Classic hosted by Arlington Travel Baseball at Barcroft Park.
10YO Arlington Storm was undefeated through pool play and entered bracket play the number 1 seed. They continued their winning streak in bracket play and won the championship game against the host Arlington Arsenal (ATB) 10U.
The 9YO Storm faced the Aldie Senators — a team they had lost to in pool play — in the final game of the tournament. Arlington Storm's 9YO team won against the number 1 seed and took first place.
The 11YO Arlington Aces earned second place at the Fruitland (MD) Columbus Day Blowout tournament. The 12YO Storm competed in Ripken Baseball's Aberdeen (MD) Tournament.
10YO Arlington Storm was undefeated through pool play and entered bracket play the number 1 seed. They continued their winning streak in bracket play and won the championship game against the host Arlington Arsenal (ATB) 10U.
The 9YO Storm faced the Aldie Senators — a team they had lost to in pool play — in the final game of the tournament. Arlington Storm's 9YO team won against the number 1 seed and took first place.
The 11YO Arlington Aces earned second place at the Fruitland (MD) Columbus Day Blowout tournament. The 12YO Storm competed in Ripken Baseball's Aberdeen (MD) Tournament.
ABR Travel in the News
8YO Storm Undefeated at States, Competes at Regionals in Florida

8YO Storm competed in the Southeast Regional Tournament in Ocala, Florida. The team was undefeated throughout the 8YO Virginia State Tournament in Haymarket, VA.
During the State Tournament championship game against the Fluvanna Fire, Arlington Storm had a 9-run lead in the fourth inning. Fluvanna fought back, but the Storm held on and won 13-12.
Some highlights from the championship game:
- Clive G led in hitting with four hits in four at bats.
- Booker L had a homerun, scoring two runs, in the first inning.
- Together, the team's bats were alive — the team had 21 hits.
During the State Tournament championship game against the Fluvanna Fire, Arlington Storm had a 9-run lead in the fourth inning. Fluvanna fought back, but the Storm held on and won 13-12.
Some highlights from the championship game:
- Clive G led in hitting with four hits in four at bats.
- Booker L had a homerun, scoring two runs, in the first inning.
- Together, the team's bats were alive — the team had 21 hits.
First-Place Wins for ABR Travel Teams
In the same week, four Storm teams took first-place in the Virginia District 7 tournaments, while the 11YO Aces were champions at the Father's Day Summer Classic in Essex, Maryland. The 11Y0, 10Y0, 9YO and 8YO Storm all advanced to compete in their age level State Tournaments.
ABR Travel Teams Sweep the Valley
8YO, 9YO, 10YO and 11YO Storm win first-place in Winchester Tournament
The 8, 9, 10 and 11-year-old ABR Travel Storm teams all won their brackets over the Memorial Day weekend at the Showdown In the Valley tournament in Winchester, VA. The clean sweep by the league was a first for the Arlington Babe Ruth travel program. It was also a first for the tournament — no program had won at all age levels in the past.
During the tournament, which ABR Travel's Storm teams use as the unofficial start to the summer tournament season, the 8YO Storm defeated Winchester, 12-2, in the championship game. The 9YO Storm downed the Virginia Stars, 11-5, in its final. The 10YO Storm topped Winchester, 9-4, and the 11s team beat the Lumberjacks, 1-0.
Tournament highlights:
During the tournament, which ABR Travel's Storm teams use as the unofficial start to the summer tournament season, the 8YO Storm defeated Winchester, 12-2, in the championship game. The 9YO Storm downed the Virginia Stars, 11-5, in its final. The 10YO Storm topped Winchester, 9-4, and the 11s team beat the Lumberjacks, 1-0.
Tournament highlights:
- 8YO Storm won all three of its games by more than 10 runs. Dominic T. belted a three-run homer.
- 9YO Storm outscored opponents 60-15 on 54 hits in five games, including RBIs and runs scored by all players.
- After dropping their first pool play game, the 10YO Storm buckled down, winning its next four games by a combined 24-7. The key game was an error-free 3-2 win against the same team that bested the Storm earlier.
- 11YO Storm returned for its third championship game in three years at Winchester. Defense made clutch plays in critical moments, including game-saving diving catches by center fielder Kieran S. in both the semifinal and championship games. Top hitters were Jamie C., Mason B., Will E., Jack R., and Nathan M., who went a collective 20 for 35 with 14 RBIs.
ABR Travel's 2018 Spring Season Wraps Up
ABR Travel's Storm, Aces and Select teams filled their 2018 Spring season with doubleheaders at all age levels (9s-12s) in the Northern Virginia Travel Baseball League. The 8YO Spring season included two clinics and tryouts run by ABR Travel coaches and program alumni. Check us out on our Twitter page for up-to-date action on the ballfields.
Contact Us If You Are Interested in Learning More About the ABR Travel Program
ABR Travel team tryouts occur in Fall. However, as our community is enriched with military and public service families that are relocating, ABR will always welcome new players into the ABR House and ABR Travel programs. If you are a service member relocating to our area, just new to the Washington, DC, area, or were not able to tryout for the 2019 program in Fall 2018, please contact us and we will provide you with information regarding team opportunities. ABR Travel's programs include year-round elements, but with up to 3 teams at each age group, we're always open for new players. It's never to late to get in the game.
Click here to learn more about our Fall tryouts for our 2019 program.
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Click here to learn more about our Fall tryouts for our 2019 program.
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2018 ABR Travel Cooperstown Team — Storm East 2017 ABR Travel Storm and Aces Cooperstown Teams
ABR Travel at Cooperstown Dreams Park
Every summer, ABR Travel's 12YO program sends teams to compete at Cooperstown Dreams Park to do what we do best — PLAY BALL! This year, the 2018 12YO teams — ABR Travel Storm East and ABR Travel Storm West — competed against 104 teams from all over the United States. Through six games of pool play and bracket tournament games, both teams represented Arlington and had a blast! They faced teams from Michigan, Wisconson and New York during the tournament. Arlington Storm East was coached by Harry Devens and Eric Leonard, while Arlington Storm West was led by coaches Gary Haney and Jim Greenwood.
ABR Travel's Class of 2017 sent the Storm and Aces to Cooperstown. When the Storm faced competition at Cooperstown, they went an impressive 5-1 in pool play to finish 17th out of 104. The Storm was also 1-1 versus the tournament's Sweet 16 teams. The Aces battled some adversity in pool play finishing 1-5, but lived up to their reputation of playing hard and challenging their opponents through the final out. The Storm was led by Head Coach Chris Cardinale and Assistant Coach Roland McAndrews and the Aces by coaches Steve Wingate and Bill Gil.
ABR Travel's Class of 2017 sent the Storm and Aces to Cooperstown. When the Storm faced competition at Cooperstown, they went an impressive 5-1 in pool play to finish 17th out of 104. The Storm was also 1-1 versus the tournament's Sweet 16 teams. The Aces battled some adversity in pool play finishing 1-5, but lived up to their reputation of playing hard and challenging their opponents through the final out. The Storm was led by Head Coach Chris Cardinale and Assistant Coach Roland McAndrews and the Aces by coaches Steve Wingate and Bill Gil.