National competitors

The Stix Academy Hustlers (pictured) finished second in the 10U open division at the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Southern Nationals softball tournament in Arlington, Texas. After coming in fourth place last year in the 10B class, the girls had an invitation to return for this year’s competition. Some of the best 10U open-class teams from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arizona battled it out on the fields, and the Hustlers went 8-3-1 in the tournament. Led by head coach Juan Garcia and assistant coaches Kris Westbrook, Abe Garcia, and Brad Loper, the team has been together for two seasons and has won more than 100 games together. The Hustlers are (top row, from left) Celeste Reed, Riley Most, Kirsten Moon, Roxanna Ramirez, KK Mosley, (bottom row, from left) Ava Carr, Sadie Westbrook, Izabella Vaquero, Caroline Loper, and Kathalina Garcia.

Editor’s note: Send your best high-resolution photos and behind-the-scenes stories about young local athletes, in both team and individual sports, to SportzBuzz, Jr. at [email protected]. Include all contact info, names, ages, grades and schools. Featured athletes must live in Buzz-circulation neighborhoods. Items will be published on a space-available basis.