As far as Austen Leffler and Kevan Smith are concerned, it was a summer well spent.

Both were members of the Pittsburgh Diamond Dawgs 17-and-under traveling baseball team that won the East Coast World Series in June.

Team members received rings Nov. 2 at the Diamond Training Center in Warrendale, acknowledging their accomplishment.

"It was a great time," said Smith, a senior at Seneca Valley High School and catcher for the Dawgs. "We were well-coached and I had a blast."

Leffler, a junior at Knoch played first base for the summer team.

The squad played in tournaments in Ohio, New York, West Virginia and North Carolina, compiling an overall record of 20-16 against stiff competition.

"We got to compete against some of the best teams in the country," said coach Kevin Green.

The Dawgs won a tournament in Beckley, W.Va., earlier in the season, but their best performance came in Charlotte, N.C., where the East Coast World Series was held.

"We actually played up in that tournament," said Green. "We're a 17-and-under team and most of the other teams were 18-and-under."

The Dawgs started slow out of the gate, losing their first three games.

"We didn't get a dominating performance on the mound in any of those first three games," said Green. "And we always seemed to be one swing away from putting a crooked number on the scoreboard.

"Then, finally, everything started to come around."

The Dawgs won their final four games, the final one coming in a 4-3, 13-inning win over the Maryland Cardinals in the championship game.

"Everybody made a commitment because we were tired of losing," said Leffler. "We took it upon ourselves to go out and get the job done."

Both Leffler and Smith made it through tryouts last December in which a total of 50 players were reduced to just 12.

"I wasn't sure how well the team would jell," said Green. "All the players were all-stars in their own right, but they were from all over."

Besides Seneca Valley and Knoch, seven other high schools were represented, including Pine-Richland and Ambridge.

"After the tryouts, when we knew who would be on the team, I thought we were capable of big things," said Smith. "Coach Green had coached before in the minor leagues and he brings a lot of knowledge to the game."

Leffler and Smith came to the tryouts for different reasons.

"I tried out because I knew the team was going to play a lot of games," Leffler said. "And the coaches were going to work real hard at getting us exposure to different colleges."

Smith, who already has decided to play football at the University of Pittsburgh after graduating from high school, simply was looking to play competitive baseball over the summer.

"I used to play on a summer team called the Pittsburgh Curve," Smith said. "That team split up and a few of the players, including myself, decided to try out for the Diamond Dawgs. As it turned out, I was the only one of that group to stick with it."

Leffler and Smith didn't disappoint during the season.

The former hit .300 with five home runs, 22 RBI and a .490 on-base percentage.

Smith led the squad with a .438 batting average, smacking eight doubles and tallying 17 RBI and 22 runs scored.

The offensive performances came against high-caliber pitching.

"In high school, if you face a kid throwing 80 mph, that's pretty good," said Leffler. "This summer, we saw a couple of guys headed for Division I colleges. One of them was throwing 92."

One trip took the Dawgs to Cooperstown, N.Y., In between tournament games, the squad toured the Baseball Hall of Fame.

"I had been there before, about five years ago," said Smith. "But it had changed a lot since then and it was a great time."

"Most of the kids had never been there before," said Green. "That's what made the trip so enjoyable."