Rockets rejuvenated

Six short weeks ago, the Rockets were coming off their second three-game losing streak.

They had rebounded from a three-game sweep earlier in the year to win six of their next seven, but this time their record dipped to 8-7.

The veterans, six guys who had been on the team for seven or more years, had disdain in their eyes. Grief on their faces.

“This isn’t how we want to hang ’em up.”

It’s not exactly what any of them said. But it might as well have been straight from their mouths.

There’s a different look on their faces today.

Poise. Determination. Most of all: Confidence.

A 17-game win streak will do that.

Thirty-two hits in a span of six hours to win a regional championship will too.

The Portland Rockets are going to the National Amateur Baseball Federation World Series — it begins today and runs through Sunday in Battle Creek, Michigan — for just the second time in the team’s history.

“I’m just amazed at the underlying themes of what we’ve done,” said Portland manager Randy Miller, whose team last played in the NABF World Series in 2012.

The mindset isn’t the same this time around, especially for those six guys who were part of the Rockets’ first world series berth.

“I think it’s a lot different,” said Mitch Waters, a 2002 Jay County High School graduate who tossed eight strong innings in the regional championship victory Sunday against Battle Creek in Fort Wayne.

“We’re older, of course (but) the young pieces have really stepped up this year,” Waters added. “The first time you go to the world series you don’t know what to expect. We know what to expect now. We have been there before.

“I don’t think we’re just going to have a good time. We’re going to compete.”

In 2012, Dalton Tinsley was one of those young guys. As a 20-year-old, playing for such high stakes was a new concept to him.

“I didn’t grasp everything that went into what it took to get to the world series,” said Tinsley, the Rockets’ leadoff man and anchor in center field. “We appreciate it more. I think we want to win more than we did in 2012.

“I know it means a lot to us core guys that have been around a long time. We never know if we’re going to get to play Rocket ball again next year. To get one more try to make it back before everyone calls it quits means a lot.”

Dan Bollenbacher, Chris Miller, Justin Marrero, Zach Tanner, Waters and Tinsley are the six core members whose veteran leadership has trickled down to the young kids.

The likes of hurlers Max Habegger — who Waters said he drools over getting the chance to work with as a pitcher — Derek Thobe and Zach Short have provided the pitching depth Portland has needed headed into the second most important weekend in the five-plus decades of Rocket history.

“They set the tone right off the bat,” Tinsley said. “Without them (we) probably wouldn’t be where we’re at. Those guys, they battle on the mound. They never give up.”

But there’s also the youthfulness in the field from Alex Delk, TJ Lindstrand, Cody Krumlauf, Dustin Lewis, Tristan Becker, Brandon Reamon and Collin Affolder. There are pitchers Garrett Scott, Chandler Jacks, Chase Ruiz and Jimmy West also.

“They’ve stepped up their game,” Miller said.

Portland (33-10) opens the world series at 11:30 a.m. Thursday against the Beecher Muskies. Game two of pool play is at 6 p.m. Thursday against the Brooklyn (New York) Fever, the defending champions. Portland then meets the host Battle Creek Merchants at 7 p.m. Friday in the final pool play game of the tournament.

The world series consists of three four-team pools. The top two teams in each pool and two wild cards make up an eight team, single-elimination tournament. Quarterfinal games are at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The semifinal games are at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, with the championship slated for noon Sunday.

The Rockets are winners of 25 of their last 28 games, which included the 17-game streak that lasted more than a month. During that time, Portland used solid pitching, strong defense and clutch hitting. Sure, the core players were a big part of the success, but everyone has contributed in some way. Lewis and Reamon, two of the younger guys, led the team in hitting in Sunday’s regional win.

“Keep the same approach we’ve had,” Tinsley said of the offensive keys this weekend. “Battling with two strikes … it’s not giving away at bats. You get complacent, you get bored, whatever. Guys are buckling down, moving runners, stealing bags.

“Offense is clicking on all cylinders.”

Miller agrees.

“I think we have shown growth as a team and individuals,” he said. “This team has taken on a new identity with pitching and defense. Hitting has come along.

“When it is all put together it is a beautiful thing.”