When you do something once-in-a-lifetime, you have to be prepared for exactly that.

Last season, Jeff/GRC’s 11-12 All-Stars accomplished the dream of thousands of Little Leaguers across the nation, finishing their season not in the red-and-gray uniforms of Jeffersonville, but in the black-and-gold of the Central Region. Ending up with not just a picture in the local newspaper, but in front of a nationwide audience on ESPN and part of the phenomenon that the Little League World Series has become.

But it’s a new year, and with it has come change for the group that electirifed the area last summer. This time, they won’t be travelling to Williamsport. In fact, many of them won’t even be together.

“At this point, it’s time to just go play,” said Derek Ellis, who coached Jeff/GRC to the promised land and whose son, Drew, was among its biggest stars.

Citing the example of Valley Sports, the Louisville team that advanced to, and won, the LLWS, yet ended up with only two players still together by high school, Ellis said the members of Jeff/GRC may never end up united on the same field again.

But not yet.

When the Division V tournament starts this week at Clarksville, Ellis will be back at his familar post in the dugout. This time, he’ll be managing the Jeff/GRC 11-year-olds, starring his middle son Ian. And while that team could reach as far as a state title, only the 11-12 age group is eligible for Williamsport, PA.

Meanwhile, Drew Eillis will be keeping busy with travel ball, teams that aren’t confined to competition in just their local area. He’ll be suiting up for an Indianapolis-based squad, this one with a manager that isn’t so close to home.

“It’s great to have him play for someone other than me,” Derek Ellis said. “It’s nice to just be able to sit and watch and just enjoy his games as a parent and as a fan. We’re both very excited to be able to do that.”

That doesn’t mean every World Series-team member won’t be taking part in the DV festivities, which are being held at the remodeled Clarksville Little League facility.

Chandler Dale, Ben Shahroudi, Hayden Robb and Josh Burke will be teammates once again, this time in the 13-year-old division. Nick Thompson and Tyler Sariscany could also be wearing the familiar colors of Jeff/GRC.

Dalton Duley and Austin Hines, two of the team’s more attention-grabbing stars during last season’s run, along with Brad Koerner, will not be taking part in Little league this season.

But there is another option for fans who are still clamoring to see the old gang together, and it also revolves around travel ball. In fact, they never really split apart.

As the weather turned warm enough for baseball this spring, Ellis took the nucleus of his team — Duley, Hines, Dale, Shahroudi, Robb, Burke and Drew Ellis — and combined them with players from New Albany Little League and Highlander Youth Recreation to make up Indiana Elite.

So far, Indiana Elite has been exactly what you’d expect from a squad with such a pedigree. Ellis’ team went 2-0 at the Spring Fling qualifier in April, moving on the the Mid-South Super NIT on May 15. There, the Elite struggled again competition both new and familiar, going 1-3 and losing to a Louisiana team featuring more than a few pieces from the same Louisiana outfit that likewise advances to Williamsport last season.

“What we wanted to do was take our hand-picked team, the best from Clark and Floyd Counties, and take them out to prove the kind of baseball that we play here, and I think we’ve done that,” Eliis said. “More than anything, the kids realize there are a lot of really, really good baseball players out there. They know they’re good, but there are thousands of good players and that you really have to work hard to continue.”

The lesson seeems to have been learned. Indiana Elite has since won its last eight contests, and went a perfect 3-0 to win the Riddell USSSA State Championship event last weekend, outscoring Fishers, Indiana Irish and the Southern Indiana Pirates by a combined score of 36-7 to take the crown.

Ellis said his new squad came about through a set of try-outs requested by parents from New Albany, HYR and other teams from around the area.

“It really felt good, because I had parents from other places saying they wanted their kids to play for me,” he said. “So we had little evaluations and try-outs and it just sort of came about.”

The Indiana Elite roster also includes Brandon Johnson, Kyle Landrum, Tucker Marcum and Brady Parr, and it’s a group that Ellis will continue to try and qualify for further USSSA events throughout this summer and into the next.

“We will more and likely try to keep this group together for one more year,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ellis might not be done on the national stage. He says his new charges on the Jeff/GRC 11-year-old squad have all the tools to perhaps one day outdo theie once-in-a-lifetime predeccessors.

“It’s a good group of kids,” Ellis said. “The baseball knowledge on this team may be even greater than it was on the (World Series) team. That’s not a dig on them, this team is just very baseball-saavy.

“They’re not a big team, but they work twice as hard as anyone I’ve seen. It’s a scrappy, small, fast bunch. There are some great teams in our Division — New Albany is probably the strongest — but if we can get past them, you never know.”



TOGETHER AGAIN?

While Jeff/GRC’s Little League World Series team won’t be back on the field together, many of its members are teaming up for travel baseball. Some of them will also be back for Division V play this summer, while others have elected not to play any baseball this season. A look at where they’ll be this summer:

• Drew Ellis — travel ball (Indiana Elite), other travel teams

• Chandler Dale — travel ball (Indiana Elite), Jeff/GRC Little League

• Josh Burke — travel ball (Indiana Elite), Jeff/GRC Little League

• Ben Shahroudi — travel ball (Indiana Elite), Jeff/GRC Little League

• Austin Hines — travel ball (Indiana Elite)

• Dalton Duley — travel ball (Indiana Elite)

• Brad Koerner — no baseball so far in 2009

• Hayden Robb — travel ball (Indiana elite), Jeff/GRC Little League

• Tyler Sariscsany — Jeff/GRC Little League

• Nick Thompson — Jeff/GRC Little LEague

• Christopher Wenger — unknown as of press time