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Little League tournaments heat up
When Rob San Martin helped put together the Southwestern Youth Association East Majors All-Star team last summer, he and his fellow Little League coaches did not know how good it would be. There was definitely talent on the SYA East roster, but it was hard to tell if that would translate into success on the diamond.“We knew we had a good group of kids that worked hard,” San Martin recalled. “We knew we had more pitching than we'd had in the past, but we really didn't know what to expect.”
San Martin could never have imagined the run his team would embark on in the ensuing weeks, cruising to the District 10 title before winning the state championship and advancing to the Southeast Region tournament in St. Petersburg, Fla. Though SYA East lost in the region semifinals to eventual Little League World Series champion Warner Robins, Ga., it was definitely a summer to remember.
“That was a lifetime memory,” said San Martin, who coached Little League for eight years. “It didn't end the way you wanted it to, but only one team gets to end the year in a victory. The kids still talk about it to this day. It was a once in a lifetime experience.”
With the District 4, 9 and 10 Majors tournaments in full swing this week, a new crop of local 11- and 12-year-olds are vying to make a run at the ultimate dream of playing in Williamsport, Pa. No Fairfax County team has advanced to the Little League World Series since Central Springfield back in 1994.
Any coach will admit that in order to find success, you need both talent and a little bit of luck along the way.
“There are a lot of factors that go into a good baseball team,” said Gary Engle, who coached the West Springfield American All-Stars to the 2005 state title. “Maturity has a lot to do with it. The players have to stay focused and know their goal is to make it to Williamsport.”
Said San Martin, "I see many teams where a couple kids think they're bigger than the team. Those teams inevitably meet their demise because everyone is not willing to get each other's back. They don't play every ball like it's the last out they're ever going to play."
Another factor in Little League success is pitching. Engle admits his team was able to win the 2005 state title with just two dominant pitchers alternating games, but new pitch count rules require teams to have at least double the number of arms to make it through the postseason.
"In 2005, there were no pitch counts," Engle said. "You could go all the way with just two pitchers. Now, you need at least four to six pitchers. It's a big difference."
Despite these new rules, Engle has his West Springfield American All-Stars on the brink of another trip to the state tournament this year. The team was scheduled to face Central Springfield Tuesday night in the first round of the District 9 double-elimination championship bracket.
SYA East, which had two players – Scott Walter and C.J. Evans – return from last year's state championship squad is also off to another strong start in 2008. The team is undefeated in the District 10 tournament and awaits an opponent in Saturday's district final (see box).
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