Many of them have played together since they were 7. None of them are stars. None have visions of a pro baseball career.

For now, the 13 members of the Butler Township Gold Federation Colt team are content with playing with synergy — and winning.

"We've played a lot of ballgames where people leave saying, 'How did they beat us?'" said Butler Township coach John McLaughlin. "'They don't have a big power hitter. They don't have all the golden-glove players.' But they refuse to lose. They are a true team."

Butler Township went 18-2 this season, losing its final game when it had only nine healthy players. Starting today, it will take on some of the best teams in the region at the Colt World Series Regional inStruthers, Ohio.

The top four teams who come out of the double-elimination tournament will advance to the Colt World Series in NorthCarolina next week.

Butler Township is still banged up, but McLaughlin is confident his team can make a strong showing in Ohio.

"I think we will be OK," McLaughlin said.

Most of the players are from Butler, but the roster also features two players from the Moniteau School District: Zach Wheeler and Tony Campbell.

With no FederationColt team in their area, Wheeler and Campbell had limited choices on where they could play this summer.

They decided to join the Butler Township Gold team.

"We had Legion ball, but we wanted to play here," Campbell said. "I knew nothing about them when I got here. We were real nervous about it, but they are all really nice kids."

Campbell gives Butler Township an outfielder who can cover a vast amount of ground, as well as some pop at the plate.

"Tony — I call him BigRed," McLaughlin said. "He's just a great athlete. He has speed. He has range. He has some power. And he's a great kid. Both Tony and Zach fit right in."

They key to Butler Township's success this season has been their easy-going nature.

Even at a practice Thursday at Pullman Park, the players joked around and kept the mood light.

Pitcher Joe Marak, who will start the first game of the tournament today, is the self-appointed team cut-up, keeping everyone loose.

"There he is. Mr. Guns himself," McLaughlin says as Marak walks from the batting cage to the infield, flexing. "That's my loose goose there. When they get tight, he'll loosen them up. They have some of the goofiest things going on in the dugout. Sometimes I just shake my head."

But in Struthers, it will be all business.

"This is the last year of all of us playing together," said first baseman Jake Skunda. "That's a big motivation for us to get it done."

Despite winning from the start, the team didn't begin click until toward the end of the season.

But now, things are different.

"We're just an all-around solid team," outfielder Mason McLaughlin said. "It's all nine of us in the field. All nine of us when we are hitting. ... We're just going to do what we do: play hard and win games."

The Butler Township Federation Colt team is one tournament away from advancing to the Colt World Series. Following is the team roster:<B>Player School Pos</B>Alek Bollinger Butler PDavid Schmidt Butler SSCody Montgomery Butler 3BTanner McCaw Butler CMason McLaughlin Butler OF-PJake Skunda Butler 1BC.J. Miller Butler 2B-PJoe Marak Butler P-OFTonyCampbell Moniteau OFZach Wheeler Moniteau OFBuddy Rekich Butler P-OFMike Hartman Butler 2BVinnie Schmidt Butler P-OF