While most of the attention on the Southeast Region team from Phenix City, Alabama was focused on the amazing performance of Kinley Rasmus and her standout pitching and hitting performance in the Little League World Series, it should be noted that her family, her father, Cory played here in the LLWS in 1999 along with her uncle Colby and he also played in the Majors and her manager, her uncle, Case, played minor league baseball. The Rasmus patriarch, Tony Rasmus, Kinley’s grandfather, also played some minor league ball and is one of the most legendary high school baseball coaches in Alabama sports history. That is quite a pedigree for a coaching staff.
“I think my brother’s experience being here in 1999 and, of course, me playing professional ball gave us great preparation and experience to help the kids on this team to understand what they were coming into,” Case Rasmus told Webb Weekly. I think we were all able to tell them kind of what to expect and let them know what a big and exciting stage they would be on, and if they concentrated on what they were doing in the field, would make out just fine.”
Case told his players that even though there is a lot of worldwide attention on them, they should have fun playing in the Series and make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“We told them how neat it was to meet and play against great Little League players from all over the world,” Case said. “They have mixed in with all the other players in the dorm playing ping pong, and sharing video games and all kinds of other things. It’s been a wonderful experience for them.”
He said he wants his players to have fun but also realize they are there for a purpose and they need to always remember what they are here for.
He was asked about all the attention being showered on Kinley and he said, “Kinley has been a great player but she is a very easygoing player who really has her head on straight and knows what she and others are here for and what they need to do, she also likes having a lot of fun and trying to get the best out of the whole experience but also knowing the challenge we face and why we are here,” Case said.
She had been one of the bright lights of this year’s LLWS, but he doesn’t believe that all the attention has turned her head and swelled her ego.
Kinley and her teammates showed their resilience and poise when they overcame a 5-0 deficit against the Mid Atlantic team from West Chester, winning 6-5 in extra frames. Kinley was a key part of that, holding the Mid Atlantic in check, pitching 4 1/2 dazzling, scoreless innings while she and her teammates clawed their way back from the deficit.
This resilience may be the product of the coaching and poise of Case and his fellow coaches and their strong sense of mission and experience. No matter what happens during the rest of the LLWS, the Rasmus family will have had a worthwhile and memorable experience for themselves and the players on the Southeast team.
