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Local softball players gain valuable experience

by Jason Blasco
| August 3, 2017 3:21 PM

Mission Valley softball players Destiny Manuel and Josie Caye are both gunning to earn college scholarships and in order to enhance their chances, they are playing teams from the United States and now the world.

Manual and Caye, both currently members of the Little League softball 14U team Garden City (GCJL), a team that qualified for the Little League Softball World in Kirkland, Wash.

“Destiny and Josie are pretty much in summer and travel ball, and they pretty much practice year-round for that,” Bethany Manuel, Destiny’s mother said. “It’s a lot of commitment. Especially for us because we have to drive to Missoula two or three times a week and take them to or from practices.”

GCJL captured the Little League State Championship by defeating Billings in a three-game series. GCJL won two of three games in the series, which allowed them to qualify for the Western Regional in Tucson, Az.

During the western Regionals, the GCJL defeated teams from Northern California, Alaska and defeated an Utah team to advance to the Little World Series in Kirkland. The Avalanche won four games to advance to the World Series that included teams from Latin America, Europe-Africa, and Canada.

Coach Art Caye said winning the game in the western regional was “quite the experience.”

“It was quite the experience for me as a coach,” Caye said. “It was quite the process to qualify for the (Junior League) World Series.”

Art Caye, who is the father of Josie Caye, said he is coaching to try to help catapult his daughter and her team to new heights.

“Josie is my daughter and that is why I am here to do a little bit of coaching,” Art Caye said. “Destiny and Josie are good players. They fit right in with this team and they’ve known these girls for quite some time.”

The reason Manuel is excelling in softball is her athleticism, according to Art Caye.

“She is just an all-around player, hits the softball very well, and she is very quick,” Caye said. “My daughter is pretty much the same. She can hit the ball, is quick, and has a good arm.”

Josie and Destiny are currently part of history as part of the first Garden City team to qualify for the World Series as juniors, according to Art Caye.

Destiny and Josie both also won all-tournament accolades in the Western Regionals.

Currently, the girls team on the international stage in Kirkland is participating in pool play and hoping to advance to single elimination.

“We just need to take care of business and the girls are capable of playing,” Art Caye said. “Like I said, they just need to prepare themselves because all of the teams are all athletic enough to win. This will put it into their minds and tell them they have the talent because you are playing against the world. Everyone has very good teams and (the tournament) is very competitive.”

Art Caye also credits the Garden City Junior League pitcher Shelby Dunwall for helping his team qualify for the Junior League World Series. Other players that have Valley ties include Grace Hardy and Morgan Holmes.

“(The Little League World Series) is a pretty awesome experience and every girl dreams to make the Little League World Series,” Art Caye said. “They’ve had the University of Washington assistant coach down here and the band is putting on a big show.”

“The girls are enjoying the experience, there are a ton of people there and the stadiums are awesome,” Art Caye said. It is a great thing for these girls and me being a coach seeing that. It may be a Little League World Series but there is nothing little about it. It’s pretty big.”