LITTLE LEAGUE: Railway Park celebrates 25th anniversary of WS team

Jun. 27—POTTSVILLE — It was a walk down memory lane Sunday evening at Railway Park.

The golden tones of Mike Kiehner announcing players' names over the loudspeaker.

George Lord in the dugout sporting a Railway Park cap and an ABC Little League World Series T-shirt.

Anthony Mehling and Jeff Ridge firing strikes from the Railway Park mound.

A large crowd lining the various levels of Railway Park's field.

The Pottsville Area Little League commemorated the 25th anniversary of Railway Park's magical run to the 1997 Little League World Series in Williamsport with a ceremony prior to the District 24 Little League Major Division all-star game between Pottsville Area and Schuylkill Haven.

Members of the current all-star squad, sporting special Railway Park jerseys, held all four of the pennants the city stars won that season — District 24 champion, Section 3 champion, Pennsylvania state champion, Eastern Region champion — in a display across the infield as Kiehner, the Railway Park president in 1997, introduced the players and coaches in attendance one by one.

The seven players who came back for the ceremony — Mehling, Ridge, Brad Bowers, Justin Marx, Jimmy Hoban, Matt Price and Eric Hufnagle — then threw out ceremonial first pitches before the group posed for photos with the four pennants and a new sign showcasing their accomplishments that will be placed in the left-field area of the ballpark. The players were joined by coaches Bob Schappell, Tom Rokosky and Lord.

"It was a great thing to honor them," said Steve Karinch, president of the Pottsville Area Little League and the District 24 umpire-in-chief. "This was something we talked about as a league and felt it was something we had to do. I wanted to see some of the kids come back."

Railway Park entered the 1997 all-star season with high expectations after Mehling, Ridge, Alex Miranda and Dave DeStefano returned from the 1996 squad that won District 24 and Section 3 titles and finished fourth in the state.

Managed by the late Irv Schappell, Railway's 14-player squad consisted of Bowers, DeStefano, Brian Doyle, Hoban, Hufnagle, Marx, Mehling, Miranda, Michael Pilo, Price, Ridge, Jim Tokonitz, Jon Williams and John Zedonek. Every one of them played a key role in the team's run to Williamsport.

"We really played well as a team," said Mehling, who pitched and played second base. "We didn't really have a weak link. We just all played well together. That's what was best. We all had a lot of friendships on the team. Us being a team, I think that really pulled us together."

Added Bowers, who played left field: "A lot of guys chipped in along the way. We made it a long way with our core four. We had some pitching and some good infielders. That got us a long way. We were a close team. We were close with each other, and that showed on the field."

Railway Park repeated as District 24 champions — back then it was a double-elimination tournament format — with victories over Rotary (19-0), Pine Grove (6-1), Ashland (7-0), Schuylkill Haven (11-1) and Pine Grove again (12-0). The local stars then defeated Newville 5-3 and Danville 7-4 and 8-7 to capture the Section 3 title.

At the state tournament in Carbondale, Railway Park downed North Central 2-0 and Berwyn-Paoli 4-0 before suffering their first loss, a 3-2 setback to Berwyn-Paoli. In the championship game rematch, Railway Park routed Berwyn-Paoli 9-1 to win the Pennsylvania title and clinch a berth in the East Regional.

In 1997, the East Regional was a combination of the New England and Mid-Atlantic brackets in today's Little League World Series format. Miranda tossed a no-hitter in the first game, a 3-0 victory over Connecticut, and DeStefano followed with a one-hit shutout and delivered the game-winning hit in a 1-0 victory over Rhode Island.

Mehling then hurled a three-hit shutout in Railway Park's 4-0 win over Maine that put the Pottsville stars in the semifinals. In the final bracket game of the regional, Ridge, Miranda, DeStefano, Brian Doyle and Hufnagle combined on a three-hitter in a 4-0 shutout of New Jersey.

In the East Region semifinals, Railway Park blasted Connecticut 11-1 before Williams hustled home with the winning run in a 2-1 victory over Maryland that advanced Railway Park to the Little League World Series. They are the only team from this area, and District 24, to ever reach the promised land of Little League Baseball.

"Everybody remembers and brings it up," Bowers said. "They talk about where they traveled to see us, if it was Bristol, Connecticut ... Carbondale. Everybody always talks about the bus rides up to see us. We always had the best fans, no matter where we went. Anthony's cousin, Natasha (Reeves) was always our biggest cheerleader. She led the cheers everywhere we went.

"The town was behind us. Not just the town, the whole county, the state, it was really cool and humbling. It was amazing to experience it at 12 years old."

With its big crowd now heading to Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Railway Park edged Dyer, Indiana, 1-0 in its opening game before falling to Bradenton, Florida, 5-0 in eight innings in what was then a Little League World Series record crowd of 35,000. In its final game in Williamsport, Railway Park was defeated 3-0 by Mission Viejo, California.

Both Mehling and Bowers talked Sunday about the close bond the players had and their great teamwork. The support they received came from all over Schuylkill County, and some of their parents and relatives got a chance to relive those great memories Sunday night.

"Realistically, it was a dream come true," Mehling said. "It was something that we never thought would happen. The ball kept rolling our way and we created memories from it. Lifetime memories that we have something that we can share with one another. It's awesome."

Contact the writer: Lboyer@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6026; @pubsportsboss on Twitter