CONNOR DAVIS AND TJ BARR, BOTH AGE NINE, PLAY FOR ROSS COMPUTER SERVICES IN THE CYBL. FOR THEM, BASEBALL IS KING.
Editor's note: The Boys of Summer series follows Ross Computer Services, a team in the Chillicothe Youth Baseball League.
CHILLICOTHE - "Believe in yourself."
It's a simple, easy-to-understand sentiment but yet holds a mountain of meaning inside Ross Computer Services' dugout. While the saying has caught on like wildfire as the season has gone along, one would think a coach or a parent would've introduced the saying to the little league team's 13 roster members consisting of 8, 9 and 10-year-olds.
However, that credit belongs to 9-year-old Connor Davis.
"You have to believe in yourself," Connor said. "You have to know you can do it. That's why I say it."
During one of the team's early season contests, Connor introduced the saying from his left field position. With his teammate Jack Oyer on the mound, he loudly proclaimed "Come on Jack, we need a strike. You just have to believe in yourself."
From that point on, Connor's coined saying has become the team's actual motto. And Connor, himself, now wears a "Believe in yourself" T-shirt to each game as if he's ready to patent the saying.
"I don't know where it came from," Connor said. "I just kind of said it one day because I think it's helped me. When I bat, I go up there and believe in myself. And if I do that, I usually hit the ball."
He might just be onto something.
When the season started, Ross Computers' coaching staff collectively thought Connor would be a bottom-of-the-lineup type hitter. Since that time, he's successfully moved into the two-hole and established himself as one of the team's best contact hitters.
Speaking of contact hitters, Connor's teammate TJ Barr has become quite the slugger himself.
TJ, nicknamed "Big Shug," started the year with a picture perfect swing but rarely managed to make contact. As the year came along, so did Big Shug's hitting.
In a tournament game against the Stampede, TJ sent a ball over the right fielder's head for a clean two-run double. When the Stampede's defense bobbled the ball, TJ advanced all the way home, making the play worth three runs and giving his team an 8-3 lead.
"I was surprised I hit it that far," TJ said. "I think when I swung, I had my eyes closed. It was close to hitting me so I swung."
“I was surprised I hit it that far. I think when I swung, I had my eyes closed. It was close to hitting me so I swung.”
- TJ BARR
Hey, whatever it takes.
TJ, aside from his recent barrage of hitting, is also known for his euphemisms. In the middle of the season, he jetted towards home on a passed ball while standing at third. When he was called out, clearly, at home plate, TJ returned to the dugout and announced, "If I had longer legs, I'd have made it there."
TJ Barr hits the ball during a game Tuesday, June 7,
TJ Barr hits the ball during a game Tuesday, June 7, at Yoctangee Park.
(Photo: Jess Grimm/Chillicothe Gazette)
On another occasion, TJ scored and immediately looked at his mom, Caralee, sitting in the stands and yelled, "I scored. You owe me a video game."
Much like Connor, TJ's dry sense of humor keeps the team smiling. But when the two aren't cracking jokes or supporting their teammates, they're getting better.
After spending much of his time in the outfield this past season, TJ made his first start at first base during the postseason. It went well as the 9-year-old threw two runners out and caught a ball. That was the same game he belted the bases-clearing double.
In any instance, Connor and TJ may not hit a home run in every other at-bat and they may not spend any time on the mound.
But nevertheless, they are what makes up the identity of Ross Computer Services' mojo. Both will return to the team next year before moving up to the CYBL's Major League division. More euphemisms, smiles, hits that surprise TJ, and "believing in themselves" are sure to come.
Part three of the Boys of Summer series will appear in Sunday's Gazette.
dwebb@chillicothegazette.com
Twitter: @dw1509
