AUBURN - There are few boys who at one time or another haven't strapped on a glove or grabbed a bat and imagined themselves at home plate in a big league park, coming through with a dazzling home run or the winning pitch in a tight spot, securing their place of greatness in America's pastime and earning immortality in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
For six boys from the Auburn Little League, that dream took one step closer to becoming a reality when they made their way to Cooperstown with the Geddes All-Stars to test their skills alongside 95 other teams from around the country at Dreams Field in Cooperstown the week of Aug. 11 to 17 for the National Invitational Tournament.
Conor Herr, 12, Luke Drancsak, 12, Joe Schillace, 12, all students at Skaneateles Middle School were joined by Auburn natives, Matt Covich, 13, Nick Fiermonte, 13, and Matt Nolan, also 13.
While much of the time these young players have often found themselves on opposing sides of the field, they are no strangers to playing together.
“We were all on the Auburn All-Stars team that made it to states last year,” said Fiermonte, who played in the outfield as well as spending some time on the pitcher's mound. “We ended up fourth in our last game there. At one point we were down 11-2 and we came back within one run, so I think we can play together pretty good.”
After being invited to tryout for the Geddes team, the boys were ecstatic when they found out they had made the team.
“It felt really good,” Covich said. “It was a real honor to be invited to be a part of the team. I was really excited when I found out that I made it.”
The six local players were joined by others from the Syracuse and Geddes area for some several weeks of intense, but fun practice sessions.
“We practiced for about two hours every day,” Covich said. “We worked pretty hard There is a time to have fun and a time to take things seriously and we took practice pretty seriously and worked really hard as a team.”
That work paid off as the boys headed off to Cooperstown, winning two of their first seven games to earn seeding.
“We were pretty busy,” said Herr, who played pitcher and first base “We played two games a day and we were pretty tired after, but I think we played pretty well.”
The boys participated in a few other events to keep them busy when they weren't out on the field.
During the week long tournament, the boys spent their free time playing pick up whiffleball and football games with other teams, as well as hanging around the barracks where the teams were staying and hitting the arcade. Not to mention visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame itself.
“We had a lot of fun,” said Drancsak, who played left and right field as well as spending time on the mound and at third base. “The Hall of Fame was amazing, it was the first time I've ever been there. I've never seen anything like it. I've always wanted to go since I was little. I really liked the stuff from the (Cincinnati) Reds
Another popular way to pass the time was trading pins. Each team was presented with its own logo pin at the beginning of the tournament and many team members traded their with other teams and umpires, collecting pins from all over the country.
“I've got 57 pins,” Herr said. “I got ones from Hawaii, Florida, Virginia, all over. You just try to get your favorite ones.”
In the playoffs, the boys started off promising, winning their first game14-0, against New Jersey.
“When we got there we were going to be happy if we won one game,” Covich said. “But then we realized that we made the team and if we could win one game, we could win more than just one.”
The boys were eventually eliminated in the single elimination tournament against Virginia Beach by a score of 7-3.
“There were some close calls at home plate,” said Herr, who worked as pitcher and first baseman. “We probably should have had a few more runs, but it was still a lot of fun. After that we got to watch the closing ceremony and the championship game, so we had a good time.”
To play and have a strong showing was a real honor for the boys, but the greatest honor may be the fact that they have all taken their first steps towards baseball immortality with the induction into the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame.
“I think we did really good,” Covich said. “We played well and we went as far as we could, the whole thing was an amazing experience.”
Herr will be the only one of the boys who will be age eligible to make the team again next year as the other five move on to Babe Ruth, but the tournament came as a real feather in the cap of their collective Little League careers.
“It is a really good way to end Little League,” Fiermonte said. “I'm going on to Babe Ruth next year, but this tournament was a lot of fun and it was a real honor to be able to be a part of this team.”
Conor Herr, 12, Luke Drancsak, 12, Joe Schillace, 12, all students at Skaneateles Middle School were joined by Auburn natives, Matt Covich, 13, Nick Fiermonte, 13, and Matt Nolan, also 13.
While much of the time these young players have often found themselves on opposing sides of the field, they are no strangers to playing together.
“We were all on the Auburn All-Stars team that made it to states last year,” said Fiermonte, who played in the outfield as well as spending some time on the pitcher's mound. “We ended up fourth in our last game there. At one point we were down 11-2 and we came back within one run, so I think we can play together pretty good.”
After being invited to tryout for the Geddes team, the boys were ecstatic when they found out they had made the team.
“It felt really good,” Covich said. “It was a real honor to be invited to be a part of the team. I was really excited when I found out that I made it.”
The six local players were joined by others from the Syracuse and Geddes area for some several weeks of intense, but fun practice sessions.
“We practiced for about two hours every day,” Covich said. “We worked pretty hard There is a time to have fun and a time to take things seriously and we took practice pretty seriously and worked really hard as a team.”
That work paid off as the boys headed off to Cooperstown, winning two of their first seven games to earn seeding.
“We were pretty busy,” said Herr, who played pitcher and first base “We played two games a day and we were pretty tired after, but I think we played pretty well.”
The boys participated in a few other events to keep them busy when they weren't out on the field.
During the week long tournament, the boys spent their free time playing pick up whiffleball and football games with other teams, as well as hanging around the barracks where the teams were staying and hitting the arcade. Not to mention visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame itself.
“We had a lot of fun,” said Drancsak, who played left and right field as well as spending time on the mound and at third base. “The Hall of Fame was amazing, it was the first time I've ever been there. I've never seen anything like it. I've always wanted to go since I was little. I really liked the stuff from the (Cincinnati) Reds
Another popular way to pass the time was trading pins. Each team was presented with its own logo pin at the beginning of the tournament and many team members traded their with other teams and umpires, collecting pins from all over the country.
“I've got 57 pins,” Herr said. “I got ones from Hawaii, Florida, Virginia, all over. You just try to get your favorite ones.”
In the playoffs, the boys started off promising, winning their first game14-0, against New Jersey.
“When we got there we were going to be happy if we won one game,” Covich said. “But then we realized that we made the team and if we could win one game, we could win more than just one.”
The boys were eventually eliminated in the single elimination tournament against Virginia Beach by a score of 7-3.
“There were some close calls at home plate,” said Herr, who worked as pitcher and first baseman. “We probably should have had a few more runs, but it was still a lot of fun. After that we got to watch the closing ceremony and the championship game, so we had a good time.”
To play and have a strong showing was a real honor for the boys, but the greatest honor may be the fact that they have all taken their first steps towards baseball immortality with the induction into the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame.
“I think we did really good,” Covich said. “We played well and we went as far as we could, the whole thing was an amazing experience.”
Herr will be the only one of the boys who will be age eligible to make the team again next year as the other five move on to Babe Ruth, but the tournament came as a real feather in the cap of their collective Little League careers.
“It is a really good way to end Little League,” Fiermonte said. “I'm going on to Babe Ruth next year, but this tournament was a lot of fun and it was a real honor to be able to be a part of this team.”