Before taking our boys to the Little League World Series Tournament last year I gave them a list of seven things to think about.

Seven Questions to Answer

Question #1: Can we win the State Championship?

Yes, refer to T.E.A.M

We also have a deep pitching staff, we make good contact at the plate, we have power, we have speed and we have the ability to play good defense. All of these are attributes of the teams that have advanced.

Question #2: Can we lose a game and still win either State or Regional's?

Our goal is to try and win all of our games, but teams in the past have lost games and still have won either State or Regional's. There is no need to panic if we happen to lose a pool game. Here is a look at the last six years:

2006 State Champs Davis County went 5-1 2004 State & Regional Champs Davenport NW went 5-1 in both tournaments 2003 State & Regional Champs North Scott went 5-1 in both tournaments 2002 State Champs Des Moines-Grandview went 5-1

Question #3: Can we beat Davenport?

Yes! Davenport teams usually win with focus, pitching, defense, speed and good team play which are all of our team strengths. Teams from Davenport have had great success over the past six years, but were defeated in 2006 by Davis County and in 2002 by Des Moines-Grandview, so they are not invincible. This is Davenport SE's second trip to the State Tournament and they have never won the title.

Question #4: Urbandale has never won the State Tournament, have they ever come close?

Yes, over the last ten years Urbandale Little League has appeared in seven State Tournaments more than any other Little League charter. Urbandale has finished in second place three times, third place twice, forth place once and fifth place once. We have the opportunity to be the first Major's State Champions in Urbandale Little League History.

Question #5: What does it take to advance?

Several things including a little bit of luck, but the most important ingredients have been pitching and defense. Over the last six years the teams that won State were good defensively. Here is a breakdown of total runs allowed and average runs allowed per game. It is definitely true that pitching and defense wins championships!

2001- Davenport-East: Runs- 6, Ave = 1.0 per game 2002- Des Moines-Grandview: Runs- 17, Ave = 2.8 per game 2003- North Scott: Runs- 17, Ave = 2.8 per game 2004- Davenport-NW: Runs- 12, Ave = 2.0 per game 2005- Davenport NW: Runs- 12, Ave = 2.0 per game 2006- Davis County: Runs- 11, Ave = 1.8 per game

Question #6: How many more wins will it take to get to the Little League World Series?

Most likely 10-12 more wins depending upon the circumstances. The four teams that advanced to the Little League World Series from Iowa over the last six years have won the following games:

2001- Davenport-East finished 12-0 overall in State & Regional Games 2003- North Scott finished 10-2 overall in State & Regional Games 2004- Davenport-NW finished 10-2 overall in State & Regional Games 2005- Davenport NW finished 12-0 overall in State & Regional Games

Question #7: Can we win Regional's?

Absolutely! Please refer back to the answer to question #1. A team from Iowa has won the Midwest Regional Tournament and advanced to the Little League World Series four out of the last 6 years. The two teams that didn't advance both lost in the Regional Championship by close scores of 2-1 and 2-0. The opportunity definitely exists to win Regional's and advance to the World Series if we can win State first. It can be done and it can be done by us!