West Fargo Rattlers Preparing for Cal Ripken World Series

THE 12U RATTLERS QUALIFIED FOR THIS YEAR'S WORLD SERIES BY WINNING REGIONALS IN 2024.

WEST FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – The West Fargo 12U Rattlers are preparing for the Cal Ripken World Series.

“Everyone’s been pretty excited going into it,” said Austin Schumacher. “We’ve been looking forward to it all year. Putting a lot of hard work heading into the World Series.”

The Rattlers qualified for this year by winning Regionals as 11-year-old’s. The success of that group has carried over to this season. With over 40 wins under their belt and under 10 defeats, the team is clicking as they near the World Series.

“Well, we just work as a team, you know,” said Nash Christiansen. “Have fun always. Just keep it simple.”

Head Coach Steve Walker added, “Ultimately, I think it starts with they’re just good kids. You can tell, you know, great parents and families that raise them right. It’s a very special class, I think, throughout the West Fargo School District with this age group of kids. Really top to bottom, just a really good age group that loves being together, playing baseball and competing in whatever sport they’re in.”

This is not the first time West Fargo has sent a team to a World Series. Between Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth, they’ve sent over 10 teams over the years. The most notable 12U success was back-to-back births in 2022 and 23.

“It starts with the kids,” said coach Walker.  “Ultimately, West Fargo baseball program has been around for a long time. [There is a] really strong board of directors [and] really strong volunteer coaches. The Legion program has had a lot of success, so [we are] really trying and get the young kids at these 9, 10, 11, 12-year-old ages out on Young Field and [to see] a Legion game, seeing where they’re going to play as they age and keep going and just really buying in from a young age wanting to play baseball the right way.”

For this year’s squad, they are heading to Branson, Missouri from August 6-17 and are looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“Just for the experience, it’s something new, obviously,” said Schumacher on what he is looking forward to most. “New teams, just getting to hang out with everyone…hanging out in hotels with them. It’s fun.”

For Christiansen, it’s simple, “Hitting dingers…that’s about all.”

In order for Nash to be able to hit those dingers, the financial aspect of the trip needed to be met. Coach walker credits the West Fargo community for making it happen.

“The community support has been phenomenal,” said Walker. “You know, we’ve done hot dog stands. Business sponsorships have been phenomenal. So, it’s really been great because, yeah, it’s definitely, you know, we got, I don’t know what it is, 12, 13 nights in hotels, travel, food, people taking time off of work. It’s not a cheap endeavor, but it’s, again, well worth it for the kids when you see how hard they work and how much they enjoy it.”

Enjoying the experience is important, but like any tournament you play, there always remains one main goal: Winning.

Question: Does this team have what it takes to be able to bring a championship back home?

Answer from all players interviewed: “Definitely.”

The Rattlers have their final fundraiser on Tuesday, July 29 at Horace Dairy Queen from 5p-8p. 15% of all proceeds go back to the World Series trip.