Cape Coral Crush rings for their record season. (CREDIT: WINK News) 12 young baseball players in SWFL are crushing the game and they’re only 7 and 8-years-old. The Cape Coral Crush 8U travel team is celebrating a victorious season while they kick off a new one too. They won the national championship in their division with the United States Specialty Sports Association. The rings they got for winning are more than just a piece of jewelry for the young athletes, it’s a symbol of the year-long season they had full of long hours and hard work. “We didn’t set out the year as a goal to win the national championship and be the number one ranked team,” head coach Chad Kovarik said. “It kind of just happened on its own.” Kovarik coached the Cape Coral Crush beating nearly 2,500 other teams. Eventually, the Crush broke the 8U world record with 68 wins in one season. “It was just thrilling to see all of us succeed and have fun,” Kovarik said. “It’s just like a family really.” And like most families, their accomplishments didn’t come to them very easily. “It’s very expensive to play travel baseball,” Kovarik said. “We spent $22,000 last season, so this year we actually, because of inflation, gotta go up to $26,000.” Despite the struggles, Kovarik said the team kept a positive outlook and was able to overcome the fundraising difficulties. Going into this season, the father-son duo plans to keep that same outlook and defend their title. “We have some new teammates, and I’m excited to make a better relationship with him,” Kovarik said.