Vikings baseball leans on family in run to history

CERRO GORDO, NC (WWAY) — The West Columbus Vikings have brought together their town during this playoff run and it’s thanks in part to the family atmosphere they have on the field.

“These guys really enjoy playing the game of baseball together.” West Columbus Head Coach Jason Jones said.

A group that enjoys playing together this much can be described as more of a family than a team. But West Columbus takes the family aspect to new levels with the Benton boys leading the way for the Vikings on the mound.

“We push each other to work harder,” Vikings Junior Pitcher Cole Benton said. “It’s more like competing to be better than one another. It’s cool, it’s definitely something to be proud of.”

“Just being able to have him there is an honor,” Vikings Junior Pitcher Cody Benton said. “Not many people have their brother beside them playing the game.”

Pushing each other to work harder has helped contribute to one of the best teams in West history.

The Vikings are in their first title series since 2006 and they’ve known for a while they could have a chance to win the second ever baseball title for the school.

“I kind of started to figure it out about halfway through the season,” Cody Benton said. “We’re playing like a team and our defense has never been this good. I’ve been able to tell, our team is totally different this year than other years. We’ve just been able to put things together like we haven’t before.”

Their playoff run has featured comeback performances, hundreds of miles of travel and even contests against conference champions, and now a shot at history.

This year it’s Whiteville and West Columbus that can bring home rings, something this team would love to do for the fans in the area.

“For the county to be able to bring home two, that would be sweet,” Coach Jones said. “Just speaking for myself, to be a part of that. That would be awesome for Columbus County.”

“Hopefully we can do the same thing next year and finish it off this year and bring home West Columbus some rings.” Cody Benton said.

West Columbus will take on Murphy High School in Burlington starting at 8 p.m. tomorrow.