When Cole Billingsley took the field with his teammates at Pan American Stadium in Lagos de Moreno, Mexico, the first thing he noticed was that the crowd was considerably bigger than those he usually plays for in Pell City.

“There were 9,000 or 10,000 people there,” he said.  “It was the most I’ve ever played in front of, and I was there playing for my country with the best 20 guys in the world, wearing USA across my chest.  It was an awesome experience.”

Cole, a junior at Pell City High School and outfielder for the Panthers, returned from Mexico this week, having spent several days there this month as a member of USA Baseball’s 16-Under national team.  Undefeated through the nine-game Pan Am AA Youth Championships tournament, the team defeated Mexico 11-4 in the finals for the gold medal.

“We knew we had it won,” Cole said, although the Mexican team made them work for it.

“The first pitch of the game was a double off the wall, the second pitch was a home run, and we were down, 3-0, at the end of the first inning.   We tied it in the fifth, started gaining momentum, and when we went ahead, 5-4, that took the crowd out of it.  We scored six runs in the top of the ninth, and then it was just three outs and celebrate.”

Which they did.

“The shortstop from North Carolina, Corey Seagar, he and I did a chest bump and then ran onto the dog pile together. That’s something I’ll never forget.  It was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in my life.  Probably the best.”

Cole qualified for the team through series of tryouts that ended in Houston, Texas.  “I knew I had a shot the whole way because I had at least one hit and no errors on defense in every tryout.  When they called my name, I felt like a burden had been lifted off my shoulders.  I was the happiest person ever.  I wanted to make that team more than anything.”

He played left field in all nine games of the tournament and pitched two innings of the USA team’s 19-3 defeat of Venezuela, striking out two batters.  The team also defeated Mexico and the Dominican Republic twice and had single wins against Aruba, Cuba, Brazil, and Panama, outscoring its opponents 105-15.

Cole said his best game was against Brazil, in which his two hits on as many at bats were a triple and home run.  He was walked twice.  “I’ll never forget that game.”

Lori and Boo Billingsley accompanied their son to Mexico, and Cole said he’s appreciative of support from his parents and the community.  “My dad in particular has always been there for me.  Whenever I have a bad game, I want to get in the car with my dad because he helps me with my mental game.”

His upcoming plans include trying out for next year’s USA Team.  “I made lifelong friendships with everybody on the team, and I hope I’ll get to see all the guys again next year.”

In the meantime, he’s looking ahead to his third season as a varsity player for the Panthers and working on his goal of playing baseball in college.

“I’m not sure where I want to go, but I know I want to play Division 1.  From there, who knows?”