Athlete Spotlight

Nick Sandlin picked the best spot possible to hit his first home run.

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Earlier in August, Georgia's Dixie Youth "O" Zone team was down 1-0 to Texas in the third inning of the championship game of the World Series.

Sandlin's shot gave the Columbia County All-Stars a 2-1 lead en route the title.

"Everybody knew it was my first home run," Sandlin said. "People were laughing, because it was perfect timing."

Sandlin, a seventh-grader at Riverside Middle School, is one of five players on Columbia County's Dixie Youth team who have played together since age 7.

Another is Matt Anderson, Sandlin's friend and middle infield teammate.

Anderson plays second and bats leadoff. Sandlin plays shortstop and usually bats second.

Sandlin's home run came after his father, Dixie coach John Sandlin, shuffled the lineup. Sandlin was moved to the middle of the order later in the World Series and started hitting the ball hard, capped by his go-ahead home run.

"I'd been trying to hit it hard, and that didn't work out," Sandlin said. "At the end of the tournament, when I started hitting good, I wasn't trying to hit it out. And I finally got hold of one."

Sandlin and Anderson have won five state championships together for various youth organizations. Both batted better than .400 during the World Series and combined to score 40 runs during the state and World Series tournaments.

John Sandlin said the two are considered the team's leaders.

"If we had two captains, it'd probably be those two kids," he said.

Anderson, 13, is among the team's top three pitchers and pitched three innings to pick up the win against Louisiana early in the World Series. He also hit two home runs from his leadoff spot.

In addition to pitching, the Evans Middle seventh-grader plays catcher and both middle infield positions.

"It can be tough sometimes," Anderson said of his pitching duties. "When you hit your spots and locate and change speeds, it works out fine."

Since they became teammates about five years ago, Sandlin and Anderson have played primarily middle infield, where communication is key.

"We're great friends," Anderson said. "It's been a wonderful ride with him."

The ride continues this week.

Columbia County's squad will represent Georgia again starting Friday at the National Youth Baseball Championships in Memphis, Tenn. The tournament brings together the best teams from the nation's major youth baseball organizations.

John Sandlin said the Dixie representative was winless in 2008 and that the goal for the Columbia County team would first be to win a game. He expects the players' experience to be an advantage.

"I think that's a huge part of our success that these kids have been together so long," John Sandlin said. "We probably have eight or nine that have actually been together for four years."

Anderson said the team is ready for a bigger challenge this week than the one it faced in Arkansas.

"Hopefully we'll pull out a couple wins," he said. "We just all have to work together and get along."