As a member of Cary's undefeated Babe Ruth league team this season, he is used to hitting the road.

Cary's year technically ended with the regular season, but the group is almost entirely intact to compete in this week's Southeast Regional, which begins Thursday. Seventeen of the squad's 18 players are on the Triangle South All-Stars, which dominated last week's Eastern North Carolina Babe Ruth tournament to clinch a spot in the Southeast Regional.

Although the name of the team has changed, the dominance has not. Combined, the team is 18-0 and has outscored its competition 179-25.

"We really didn't expect to (dominate the eastern N.C. tournament), but when I was talking to guys this summer, we set it as our goal," said Jere Morton IV, Cary Babe Ruth's head coach. "One of my recruiting pitches was 'we're going to win the league, and when we win the league I'll do what I can to keep you guys together.' "

The team has played well together, despite a cluster of season opening road games that followed just one team practice.

Boyd attributes to the team's success to the same reason he chose to play this summer - his coach. Without much time to train together with one another, Morton has kept things fairly simple.

"He's just a really chill guy, nice person and a good coach," Boyd said. "He just has a really relaxed style. He lets us be ballplayers."

According to Boyd, Morton has made baseball fun again - something he said was not the case after wrapping up his junior year. The two know each other from Middle Creek, where Morton is an assistant coach.

"I lost the love for the game, and I wanted to get it back," Boyd said. "I love it now - I can't get enough."

Another reason why this summer league has been so enjoyable for Boyd and the other players: How well the team has meshed despite not playing many home games or fielding regular practices. Morton said he could see the team chemistry coming together while at the eastern N.C. tournament.

"It took a few weeks, but now we're really starting to come together," Morton said.

Tonight, the team will make its first trip to Virginia to check-in at the Southeast tournament and compete in a home run derby. Clay Council, the local summer baseball figure who famously threw batting practice to Josh Hamilton in the 2008 Home Run Derby, will do the same for the Cary team.

Morton said the drive is close enough to make a bus trip each day.

It's a long drive, yes, Morton says. But "you're not in a hotel sitting around all day or night, getting into things you shouldn't be in or getting sidetracked," Morton said.

Triangle South's first game in pool play is at 12:30 p.m. Thursday against West Tennessee. The team plays again that night against Virginia, then returns Friday and Saturday for games against South Florida and Georgia, respectively.