By Jonathan Copsey / STAFF

Milton’s Hopewell Storm baseball team came home from their 2009 Dizzy Dean season with an armful of awards. And to show its appreciation, Milton gave them cake and ice cream.

All together, the group of rambunctious boys were the Georgia Dizzy Dean Baseball 2009 Under-7 District 4 champions, the USSSA 2009 Under-7 Coach Pitch Georgia State champions, the USSA National Boys Under-7 Coach Pitch #1 National champions and won the 2009 Georgia Dizzy Dean Under-7 Sportsman Award.

According to coach Jeff Fester, he’s most proud of the sportsman award.

“The organizers and the umpires are the ones who get together and vote on that. It’s a reflection not only on the team but on the coaches and the parents too,” Fester said, adding, “I think we represented the City of Milton pretty well with that.”

The state championship was held in Cold Mountain Park in Cumming, with 20 teams playing against each other, representing the best of the best players in middle and north Georgia.

“There’s some great kids here,” said team manager Les Kuykendall. “We don’t have secret drills or boot camps. We just had 11 kids who are above average baseball players.”

In honor of the awards, Quantum Bank and the City of Milton presented the boys with an ice cream and cake party. Attending the event were Milton Mayor Joe Lockwood and the Mayor Pro-Tem Tina D’Aversa who praised the boys’ success. Also at the event was a representative of Governor Sonny Perdue, who himself was a Dizzy Dean player.

“You guys have really made us proud,” said Lockwood. “Milton is happy to have Hopewell baseball.”