Peabody West stars have easy workout day before World Series opener

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Peabody West Manager Dave Batchelor said all of his team’s heavy work has been completed so Thursday morning’s practice in the shadow of Lamade Stadium consisted of some bunt coverage situations and batting practice.?We are not going to do too much at all today but to do basically a walk through,” Batchelor said after spending time with Dave Ryan and Sean McDonough of ESPN. “Everybody is healthy coming in to this except for a tired arm or two.”The relaxed workout lasted 90 minutes and was interrupted once while the team did a radio interview over a cell phone.Batchelor’s son, Austin, will take the mound for Peabody Friday night at 8 when the New England champions face a team from San Antonio, Texas.?I am really trying to just do what I do every game,” Austin Batchelor said. “It has been pretty exciting here this week, but I am just looking at the game as my next start.”?I know absolutely nothing about Texas and unless there is some way to get a tape of their game I won’t know anything about them going in to the game,” Batchelor said. “Our game was played in the recreation room last night but I am not sure if they (Texas) saw it. We will just go out and hopefully do the same things we have been doing that got us here.”Batchelor stressed several times during Thursday’s practice that he wanted everyone on the team to enjoy the media coverage they were receiving and to take in the entire atmosphere of the World Series.But make no mistake about it, Batchelor and his team are here to win and not just enjoy themselves.?Our kids are making friends with kids from Japan, China, Europe, Georgia and all over the place. The experience and memories will last forever,” Batchelor said. “The memories will last a lifetime but in the end, we are here to win baseball games.”At the end of the workout Batchelor talked to his team briefly and said, “We are a day away from the game and I don’t want anyone getting hurt and missing this thing. I want everyone to enjoy every minute of it.”
Batchelor said the team has been busy since arriving Monday with meetings, getting all kinds of equipment and the ESPN interviews. He said he has heard that upwards of 500 people were making the 435-mile journey from Peabody to South Williamsport.?The kids are having a blast out here and hopefully we will win some games,” Batchelor said.NOTES:? While Peabody does not have a rally cap per se, player J.J. Layton, as he explained, wears a catcher’s mask when he is in the dugout and Peabody is at bat.The Peabody stars are the inspiration for Cherry Farm Creamery’s new Grand Slam ice cream. The ice cream, which went on sale earlier this week, will feature Baby Ruth and O Henry candy bits?also named after famous home-run hitters, and caramel and peanut butter swirl to attract a younger audience.?Me and my wife, who makes the ice cream, were watching the game on TV and after the win we thought, “Hey, we oughta do something ? you know, come up with our own flavor,” said Steve Jones, one of the owners of the Danvers creamery, along with his wife. “The beauty of it is that we make all of our own ice cream, so we can create our own flavors.After posting a congratulations to the team on the creamery’s Facebook page, Jones said they received many comments urging the ice cream shop to create an ice cream dedicated to the team. This was when the Jones’ decided to officially add the new flavor to their lineup.?It will be around for the next couple of weeks, and if it’s that popular, who knows, it might be around for longer,” said Jones.In the meantime, Cherry Farm Creamery has decided to dedicate a portion of their proceeds from the new ice cream flavor to the Peabody Little League.For ongoing story and photo coverage of Peabody’s Little League World Series, check back frequently to https://newitemlive.wpengine.com/little_league