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It was a hard fought game, trading leads back and forth, but the Prince Edward-Farmville Youth Association (PEFYA) Majors squad fell just short in Saturday’s World Series competition. They lost 5-4 against Louisiana, ending their time in the tournament.

This ends an impressive run for the team, who went 3-1 to clinch the state tournament, en route to securing a spot in the World Series. It’s made even more impressive by the fact the team wasn’t even originally supposed to be in the state tournament. Beaten by scores of 23-3 and 18-8, the Majors team had been eliminated. But due to the fact another team wasn’t available, the Majors got an automatic bid to the state tourney and took advantage of it. They scratched and clawed and fought every step of the way, working to earn their way. 

The story also includes help from the community. Faced with less than two weeks to raise money for travel and accommodations in Louisiana, the PEFYA Majors got help from all over Farmville and Prince Edward County to make that happen. The Farmville town council donated money, as did a number of residents, coming out to restaurants where a portion of the night’s proceeds were given to the team. Others gave as they could. It’s something that Majors head coach Jacob McCann reflected on before the team left for the Series, pointing out the influence of God. 

“I’m a person of faith. I truly believe that God has had his influence on this team, and has some special plans for us coaches and these boys. They believed in each other, had each other’s backs and embraced that team of destiny mentality of we’re not supposed to be here, let’s go win this thing by playing hard and having a good time,” McCann stated.