Sports
Brothers find success on Belton Cubs
Sunday, 29 July 2012 by David Tuma
Cooper, William and Trey Wallace played on the same team this year on the Cubs. William, center, moved up to play in the freshman division to play on the same team as his brother Cooper, left and Try on the right. Photo by David TumaIt is rare that three brothers are on the same sports team and none of them are twins or triplets. In Belton there are three brothers who played on the Belton Cubs, a Freshman division that plays in the city league. The team placed second at the regional tournament this past weekend.
The three brothers are Trey, Cooper and William Wallace. Trey is the oldest and is the star pitcher on the team. His is soft spoken but when you talk to him he understands sports. Cooper is the middle brother and William is the youngest and with a name like William Wallace, he speaks his mind.
The parents of the three brothers Jami and Russell had to get a waiver from the league because William had to move up in age class to play on the team. Cooper plays third base and William is the starting second baseman and when he isn't pitching Trey is the short stop.
"I was worried about it at first (moving up) but it wasn't as bad as I thought. I practice at home against my brother so I am used to hard throwing. It is harder sometimes hitting somebody who throws slow," said William.
The Cubs were 26-1 heading into the finals this past Saturday. "We have a good team and I like to throw the fastball. But my favorite pitch is the changeup and I love throwing it for that third strike," said Trey. Trey is 10-0 for the year and throws in that 60-65 mph range. His top strike out total in a game was eight.
"I like getting to tag people out at third when they try to steal," said Cooper. The brothers are like different people when they walk out on the field. All three are competitors but out on the field they aren't brothers, they are players. "When they get in the car they are brothers with those 'You are in my spot' but out on the field they are players. After the game when they get in the car they go back to being brothers with all that goes with that," said their father Russell.
"Teams are surprised to find out we are all brothers. We treat the players on the team the same as we do each other," said William. "And we definitely hate losing," said Cooper. "It helps the team relax because they are so relaxed around each other it makes the team relax. There is a trust amongst brothers and that trust is part of the team," said Russell.
"I enjoy playing on the team with my brothers and I know I can trust them," said Trey.
Russell isn't the coach of the team but he did have some unique advice for fathers. "I coached them some when they were younger but what I do that works is this: I listen to what the coaches are telling my boys to work on at practice. I go home and work on what the coaches tell them to do."
