The Concordia Parish Dixie Youth T-Ball all-star team gathered in the dugout Friday night at its district tournament at the Vidalia Recreational Complex.

Once every player was shoulder-to-shoulder, they put their hands together, counted down from three and shouted “Vi-Lou.”

“You want to take pride in your hometown,” said coach Beau Brashier. “That’s why we say it. We are from here. We want to put this group on the map.”

“Vi-Lou” — which is the team’s motto this year — stands for Vidalia, Louisiana.

The original motto was “win,” Brashier said, but he decided it was too boring.

Brashier then asked his team what about “Vi-Lou?” The kids immediately latched onto the saying.

“They are all about it,” Brashier said. “We tried to change it after that and asked them if they wanted to and they all refused. They like Vi-Lou.”

Brashier said he is happy his team decided to stick with “Vi-Lou” as its motto.

Although Brashier is trying to teach the players on this year’s team the importance of hometown pride, it’s not the only thing he is preaching. Brashier said he is also trying to educate his players the basics of baseball.

“Where to throw the ball,” Brashier said. “Where the runners are going. How to run the bases. Mechanics on how to swing the bat off the tee. Hitting off a tee is a better way to teach them how to properly hit a ball.”

Though most of the squad’s district games are about learning, they also help determine seeding for the Louisiana Dixie Youth State T-Ball tournament on July 5-8 in Tioga — as the team automatically gets a bid.

“I’m proud of them already,” Brashier said. “We haven’t gotten to play enough games as I wanted to because most teams are playing coach pitch in this age group. But we are just trying to keep rolling into state.

“I love coaching them.”

Although Brashier and his team are focused on winning state this season, the main thing for him is how the players represent their community at the tournament.

“It’s always important to represent your hometown the best way you can,” Brashier said. “We want to make sure we are representing Concordia Parish in a positive light.”