Day in the life of a Little Leaguer in Williamsport: Middleboro is soaking up every moment
Middleboro won a game to remember for a lifetime, one to claim the New England Regionals championship.
That was Thursday of last week.
Twelve hours later, at 7 a.m. that Friday, the buses revved outside the team's dorms in Bristol, Connecticut. The Middleboro Little League team was on the move again; this time, to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the Little League World Series.
"We were still excited from the win the night before," team manager Chad Gillpatrick recalled. "It was a good trip."
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After the five-hour commute, some of it spent snacking on sandwiches provided by the field staff in Bristol while watching the Little League inspired movie "Twelve," Middleboro arrived in Williamsport last week as one of the 20 regional champion teams from around the globe in contention for the World Series title.
The team is fitting in just fine, so far.
“It’s a continuation from Bristol. Bristol did a nice job. They kind of try to set it up exactly like Williamsport is to prepare you for it,” said Gillpatrick. “From that standpoint, it was kind of a smooth transition for us.”
Now several days into the swing of things, Gillpatrick says the itinerary is very structured. The team has two "team uncles", as they're referred to on the campus, Jim and Cheri, who instruct them around and schedule practice times.
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On a normal day, it's a bright and early start. Breakfast is served anywhere from 7:30-8:30 a.m. and the team heads off to an approximate 90-minute practice on one of the many practice fields available. Then, the players head into one of the 10 newly renovated batting cages to polish their swings. The batting cages are indoors, lined with turf and gated by large bay windows that open all the way for when a breeze is wanted.
Baseball on the brain all day long, Middleboro is in action in some capacity three-and-a-half hours per day.
“The practices, they’ve been good," Gillpatrick said. "We’ve been preparing hard. I think we’re ready.”
Away from the field is where Williamsport has truly showed its baseball pride -- at least in terms of keepsakes.
“The pin trading here is crazy,” Gillpatrick said. “I was able to get some ordered, they’re going to be delivered here Friday so we’ll have our New England pin to trade around. I think these kids are over 75 different pins each. Everywhere you go, (there's) a pin.”
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There were plenty to go around at the introductory parade through downtown Williamsport one of the first nights there. Gillpatrick estimated 20,000 people were in attendance and the Middleboro players inked autographs on souvenir baseballs.
That was just some of the trading between fans and fellow players -- some of whom, as Gillpatrick noted, may develop into Major League players one day. You never know.
“It’s everybody’s different cultures coming together. It’s pretty fun to see and pretty amazing,” he described. “It’s a pretty crazy experience to say the least and one these kids will never forget.”
An arcade with unlimited video games and a loaded pro shop accompanied additional activities sponsored by Adidas and an ESPN media day as some of the highlight activities on campus so far.
The team also received a speech from, and took a team photo with, the record-holder for most saves in Major League Baseball history: Mariano Rivera, the career-long Yankees closer.
“A lot of the kids didn’t know who he was. We had to explain it to them,” Gillpatrick laughed. “A first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, 100 percent.”
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In fairness, Rivera retired in 2013 at the age of 43. This current cast of Little Leaguers were only a few years old at that point.
ANYONE HOMESICK YET?
As the New England representative, Middleboro is one of the most local teams in contention at the Little League World Series.
That said, it's still 400 miles away. And the team hasn't been home since its community send-off at The Field of Dreams the night before the regional tournament on Aug. 4.
“We’ve been on the road for a while,” Gillpatrick chuckled.
At the send-off, a big question at hand was whether the team should pack for two days or two weeks (insinuating the trade-off between a quick elimination at Regionals or a long-term quest to the LLWS, knowing the quick turnaround between the two tournaments). Scheduling has been a challenge for all involved, parents especially.
“As we continue to win, the boss is wondering where I am,” joked Gillpatrick, father of home-run hitter Gavin Gillpatrick. “That’s funny – everybody I talk to, they ask me ‘What is your boss thinking about this? What’s going on with work, are you alright?’ It’s been nice. Everybody’s been so supportive.”
For a team that won titles at district, sectional, state and regional tournaments, the one-of-a-kind trip has been worth the chaotic shuffle of vacation time and logistics.
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything. These kids are such a great group," Gillpatrick said. "They’re growing a lot and at 12 years old, they’re learning a lot. This has definitely been more than just baseball. We’re teaching these kids some life lessons out here, for sure. It’s been fun. I just feel lucky – the other coaches, too – lucky get to be a part of it and lead the way for them.”
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Making memories, Middleboro Little League is cherishing trip to LLWS
