LUTZ, Fla. — When you’ve been playing baseball since the age of 2, like Jimmy Curtis, the sights and sounds of baseball enhance the love.

“I think it’s about the hard work,” Jimmy said. “You know. you come out here every day and just work on your craft and get better.”

As this shortstop’s game has grown, so has his Lutz Baseball team. The Hellcats were a couple of wins away from the World Series last year, losing at the regionals. 

But this year, in a walk off, the Hellcats claimed the regional championship and punched their ticket to the Babe Ruth World Series in Washington. 

“I ran out of the dugout as fast as I can,” Jimmy said. “Probably the fastest I’ve ever ran. But, I was super proud of my boys. We pulled through.”

Now the Lutz 18-and-under baseball team will be one of eight teams from around the country vying for the ultimate prize. After back-to-back state championships and finally a regional title, the Hellcats have a shot at a World Series championship.

“We went into it this year thinking we had a chance and these kids just played tremendous and they’ve earned it,” Manager Tim Daley said. “They’ve won the state of Florida, they won the Southeast. Now they’re going for a chance to win a national championship.”

These boys have grown up on the fields in Lutz. They’ve bonded over baseball. And the sport has taken them on a journey they could only dream of. 

Jimmy says it’s because they share a special brotherhood.

“Our hard work and our willingness to never give up,” he said. “We’ve been in tough games and we’ve pulled through and win tight games when we need them.”

The practices, the games, the wins and the losses have all provided memories for a lifetime. Now these Hellcats wanna add another chapter, a World Series chapter.

“It’s absolutely a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Daley said. “So, we’re going to go there and represent the state of Florida and hope they make even one more memory.”