OCEAN CITY, MD – Facing a field of nearly 50 other teams from across the East Coast, the Wellsville Diamond Dawgs 16U travel softball team beat out the odds, pulling an undefeated stretch of play to claim a National Championship.
The journey began in February, when the Dawgs earned a spot in the 2025 United States Specialty Sports Association Eastern Nationals. Flash forward to the end of July and the team was traveling to Ocean City, MD, where they would face 46 teams from Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
The double-elimination tournament began on Monday, July 28 with pool play which saw Wellsville go 2-0-2 before they kicked off a five-game win streak that punched their ticket to the championship game. Not to be denied, the Diamond Dawgs continued to dominate, earning a sixth straight victory to finish 8-0-2 in the tournament and seal their spot as National Champions.
The team was led on the mound by the dynamic duo of Brynn Hallock and Kylee Whiting. Combining for five consecutive shutouts and 64 combined Ks – Hallock had 30 and Whiting ended with 34 – the two split the honors of Co-Outstanding Pitchers for the tournament.
At the plate, the Dawgs were equally as stunning. Teagan Burke and Morgyhn Ross both finished with an impressive 0.500 batting averages, each going 10-for-20 as they named the Nationals Tournament Co-Most Valuable Players.
Burke tallied 10 hits, four doubles, nine RBIs and nine runs while Ross recorded five doubles, eight RBIs and six runs, including a three-run homer. In addition, Jayna Thomas finished with nine hits and seven runs, including a 3-for-3 day in the batters’ box during the championship game. Rylee Whiting rounded out the tournament with eight hits, nine RBIs and nine runs scored.
