The Hickory-Fountain Green Hornets 10U Travel Baseball team repeated as Cal Ripken Maryland State Champions.  The Hornets defended their title on 12 July 2012 on the same field where they won the 9U state championship on 29 June 2011 in Walkersville, MD.

The tournament included 14 teams from across the state.  The Hornets went 7-0 and outscored their opponents 75-7 en route to the championship.  The Hornets earned the overall number 1 seed after pool play and defeated UMAC, 10-0, to claim the championship.

The talented Hornets combined timely hitting along with dominant pitching and defense to repeat as champions and earn the right to represent MD in the Ripken MidAtlantic Regional Tournament.

Preceding the Cal Ripken State Championship, the Hornets claimed the USSSA Maryland State Tournament title in Germantown, MD over Memorial Day Weekend.  The Hornets defeated the Olney Pirates in the championship game 11-4.

The Hornets 2012 record is 40-9 playing against the best competition in MD as well as various other states as a result of their play in the Ripken Experience at Myrtle Beach, SC. Since 2010 this Hornet team is a combined 110-17 and has won 10 tournaments, including the back-to-back state championships.

These young ball players started their season, indoors, in January by training at Harford Sports Academy. The Hornets success is a result of extraordinary talent, countless hours of practice, and dedicated parents and managers.

The 10U Hornets will now represent Maryland in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament from 26 – 30 July in Hopewell, NJ.  The Regional tournament will consist of state champions from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.  The winner will advance to the 10U Cal Ripken World Series in Bentonsville, Arkansas from August 10-17.

The Hornets are managed by Russell Metz and coached by Joe McIlhenney, Matt Rohlfing, Mike Rickard, and Paul Duemmel.