Clarksville, TN – Tom Creech had the pleasure of introducing Coach Randy Huth, guest speaker at a recent Kiwanis Club meeting, who talked about his unprecedented 3rd consecutive trips to the Little League World Series, his love of baseball, and his special relationship with his father.
“For anybody to take a Little League baseball team deep into the world series one time is phenomenal, to do it twice… what an honor it is to have you back,” Creech said, welcoming Huth to the podium.
“First off, let me say it’s an honor to be here,” Huth said. “I usually don’t speak to people that are older than the age of 12, so forgive me if I get emotional talking about my players or my Dad. This is the first group I ever addressed about having the opportunity to make history. I actually made it three times in a row. That has never been done before in the 76-year history of Little League.”
Huth described himself as the luckiest man in the world. He talked about the flood of emotions when his team beat Florida 4 – 1 to return this year.
“At one point in Williamsport, I was doing 15 – 20 interviews a day,” Huth said. “ I always got asked the same question: what was your favorite moment/favorite part? That’s a pretty tough question. There have been so many amazing experiences, like playing in front of 25,000 people. I can’t really answer that question. I don’t know the answer.
“Some moments that stand out for me, I like to call them OSM’s. I’ve had a ton of them. I pitched at Vol State, and I was a lefty specialist. We made it to the first game of the Jr. College World Series. I threw one pitch, he hit a double, all three runs scored. We lost. My World Series career lasted one pitch.
“I won a gold medal in China for Thailand. I was out of baseball for a while. Then I got a call from an old roommate. Two weeks later, I was in Bangkok, Thailand, pitching for the Shanghai Beavers. We went on to win a gold medal in China.”
He talked about his career and his time playing baseball around the world. After playing, he began coaching. His father coached Little League for 40 years. They coached together for a while before his father fell ill.
“We actually coached two teams to district championships,” Huth said. “In 2013, my dad came up with an idea, the phantom infield. People loved it. At the state tournament, more people came out to see our pregame drills than came to some of the actual games.
“In 2018, I was coaching South Nashville, which became Nolensville, and my mom called and said, ‘You need to get home. Your dad’s heart stopped.’ That was one of those moments, for sure. I didn’t go right home. This was our dream, Dad and me, to make the World Series. We lost the first two games, and I went home. My dad lived for two more weeks. We got to hang out and talk about baseball. The last text he ever sent me was, ‘Those umpires would have to get better just to be bad.’
“Before he passed away, he said, you’ve got to promise me two things, first – ‘you’ve got to take care of mom.’ Second, he wanted his ashes spread at the Little League World Series at Williamsport, PA. Both were tough asks. I thought one day I might make it there as a fan, and I could spread his ashes, and it would be a special moment for me.”
In 2021, Huth’s team made it all the way to Williamsport. In the first game of the series, he called timeout after the first pitch, went out to the mound, and spread his dad’s ashes. “Right there on ESPN,” Huth said. “You talk about an OSM. That was a pretty cool moment. I didn’t tell anyone. I just did it. It became a massive story, and I got calls from all over the world. We lost, but it didn’t matter. I got to fulfill that promise to my pops, and that was pretty special.”
Huth talked about the team he took back to the World Series in 2022. ESPN loved the Phantom infield. That year, they lost to Hawaii in the US Championship. He talked about having the team with him for 30 days, and how he became a dad, brother, friend, and coach.
Huth shared some funny stories about his time with the kids, and then he talked about meeting Stella Weaver at tryouts for 2023.
“I said, Stella, after watching you here, and I know what our team is going to be, … in five months, you’ll be on the cover of a Wheaties box,” Huth said. “She laughed at me and thought I was crazy. She was different and special. I knew it from the moment I saw her. Five months later, she was on the Today Show and Good Morning America. She did a spread for Sports Illustrated all the local TV and radio stations.
“Two weeks ago, we were at an event together, she said, ‘I don’t know about being on that Wheaties box, but I just signed a book deal to write a book about my experience’. She’s 12 years old, set a record for most hits ever by a girl in the WS, most runs scored, and most put-outs on defense. Also, the most stolen bases ever. Stella and the fellas became a big deal.”
“Even I put on a glove, went out, and shagged balls that day, so I could say I played on that field. One of the coolest experiences of my life, playing on that field where Ty Cobb threw out the first pitch.”
Huth went on to talk about all the firsts, not only for him but his players. “People ask me what’s next, I’m not sure. But I do know there will probably be a lot of OSM’s to come. Thank you.”
