World Cup title exciting experience for local ballplayer

BY BETH LIPOFF | The Kansas City Star : JoCo 913

If any teachers at Lakewood Middle School assign a summer vacation essay, Ashton Larson has a story for them. The 12-year-old Overland Park resident competed at the World Cup in Taiwan last week as part of the 12 and under U.S. national baseball team.

Last month, he competed against 110 other athletes, selected from thousands across the country, for 18 spots on the national team. They had three days to practice together as a team before heading to the U12 World Cup.

“All of the kids are like Ashton, playing on a really high level. The coaches have a lot of faith in them and put them on the field. … Each day you could see how much they improved and were gelling as a team,” said Adrienne Larson, Ashton’s mom.