Sports blog: Warrior Nation
Sign up for Breaking News Alerts!

As the batter who was going to be on deck, Henry Strmecki did what he was supposed to do under proper Little League etiquette: Race from the dug-out to pick up the last hitter's bat and then return.

On his way back, however, he made a quick pit stop to talk to the press.

"Hey Mr. Nash," he said, looking up at me. "Thanks for the nice article."

And with that, using that patented Strmecki speed that has made him such a threat to opposing teams, he was gone, back into the dug-out to refocus on the game and his upcoming at-bat.

I have to admit this year's Wilton Little League 10-year-old All-Stars have won me over and not just because of their success.

Winning the District 1 tournament, scoring an aggregate of 32 runs in its semifinals and finals, was just a part of it.

Going 2-2 in the Sectional tournament, which pitted them against four other district champs, was just part of it.

What won me over the most was the fact that these ballplayers were some of the best kids I've been around in a while.

And, more importantly, they played the game the right way -- with respect for each other, with respect for their opponents and respect for the history and tradition of the sport itself.

I like the way the coaching staff of Tim Elkinton, Kevin Black and Dave Kahal had taught the team to put mistakes behind them and to always look ahead to the next pitch, the next at-bat, the next pitch, the next play.

Not once did I witness any member of this team put their head down for more than just a few initial moments after something went wrong.

Instead, when the mood dropped, players would get a boost from their teammates and -- perhaps most importantly -- words of encouragement from one of the best Little League coaching staffs I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Then, they would pick up their head and move on to the next thing.

Which was usually winning.

Through District 1 and Section 1 play, the boys posted a 9-3 record.

They came within one strike of playing for the Section 1 championship, but instead a two-run base hit by a player from Fairfield American ended their summer with a 4-3, seven-inning loss.

"That's the hardest thing, knowing we're not going to be playing together anymore," said Elkinton.

This team was deep in pitching with Billy Black, T.J. Elkinton and Collin Kahal acting as a trio of aces and Ryan Gabriele as the lefty who would throw a kink into any batter's plans.

I dare say the outfield of Zach Zeyher in left field, Strmecki in center and Joe Murtha in right might be one of the most athletic 10-year-old outfields ever assembled at this age level in the state of Connecticut.

And the bench players were never pouting, but always supporting their teammates from first pitch to final out.

Cole Lipsky, Liam Murray, Justin Sorbo and Jack Stevenson each contributed all they could in the field and from the dug-out.

And if you want hard-nosed players look no further than catcher Matt Lametta and second baseman Jack Gioffre, who were scrappy from the words, "Play ball."

This group of 10-year-old boys, were the consummate team and in this day and age of "Me-first" sports, it was refreshing to watch this Wilton group gell in such a fashion.

And the way they bounced back and forth, from kids to ballplayers was equally amazing.

The joking and horsing around would go on and off like a switch when it was time to step between the base lines.

In a Warrior Nation Sports Blog post more than a week ago, I applauded this team for being wise beyond its years -- a point echoed by Coach Elkinton after the team's final loss.

All it took was one game to sum up everything great about it.

That game just happened to be the District 1 Championship game against North Stamford.

Wilton had jumped on top 6-0 and built its lead to 10-2 by the bottom of the third inning. The team looked like a bunch of 10 year olds, having a great time, smiling and joking, playing baseball and enjoying it all because it was a game.

One six-run inning by the other team, however, turned them back into ball players.

Then, one inning later, another North Stamford run cut the lead to 10-9 going into the bottom of the fifth inning. It was suddenly a championship up for grabs.

Yet images from the game show how mature this group of 10 year olds is, at least as baseball players.

* A ground ball to Kahal bounced up off his chest, above his glove, and back to the dirt. Instead of panicking and firing the ball in desperation in hopes of a miracle out -- and increasing his chances of throwing it away -- he "ate it" as they say in the baseball world, knowing a man on first is far better than a man on second or, worse case scenario, third base.

* Another ball got under the glove of Wilton left fielder Zeyher, yet instead of pouting or crying -- or pulling a Hanley Ramirez/BJ Upton and jogging after the ball -- Zeyher turned around, sprinted to the left field fence and fired a strike to third base, nabbing the hitter who tried to stretch his luck. It saved Wilton a very important run because Zeyher put his team ahead of his own disappointment.

* Black, who came on in relief of Elkinton, found himself in quite the precarious position in the fourth inning when North Stamford erupted for six runs. Black took to the hill with runners on second and third and one out and promptly struck out the first batter. After that, though, his team made three errors behind him, allowing two more runs to score, but instead of putting his head down, or whining at his defense, I have this image of Black standing on the mound, facing down the batter, taking a deep breath and blowing it out and then inducing an inning ending pop up to get Wilton out of the inning.

Then, suddenly, you got to see the best of both worlds -- something that has been so important to Manager Tim Elkinton and his staff this summer.

It's been baseball and it's been fun and in one instance the two worlds collided in the bottom of the fifth.

As a joke, the coaches made up a sign in which they would wave their arms in a disco-like fashion, and it was a sign for "hitting the crap out of the ball."

So during a North Stamford pitching change, third base coach Kevin Black looked toward the plate where Kahal was getting ready to step into the box. Kahal had already driven in three runs and had a man at first base, so the coach gave his hitter The Wave sign, mainly as a joke to lighten the mood.

On cue, Kahal smashed a long two-run home over the right center field fence as part of Wilton's game-clinching, five-run, fifth-inning outburst that lifted them to a 15-9 victory.

My point is: This is a fun team to watch for two reasons. 1 -- They're baseball players, every one of them; and, 2. They had a blast playing the game the right way.

"It was a great experience that I'll always remember," said Kahal. "Someday, I'll tell my children and grandchildren about this summer because we were just 10 years old, having fun playing baseball."

As far as winning goes, this Wilton squad is the first 10-year-old group to win the Districts since 2006.

That year's 10-year-old squad also won at the 11-year-old age level and had placed as runners-up when they were 12.

This group's future is still up in the air, but I hope they never lose the aura that enveloped them this summer when they played baseball and a great time doing it.

Great job boys. It was an honor and a pleasure to cover your run and as long as you all stay true to yourselves and to the game, then the future of Wilton baseball will remain in good hands.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in Wilton Villager community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines. Basically, be civil, smart, on-topic and free from profanity. Don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read! And remember: We may miss some, so we need your help to police these comments. Please identify the comment, the story and why you think it's objectionable.
Read the commenting guidelines

Add a new comment