Williamsport, PA is the dream destination for 12 year old baseball players worldwide. And Boardman is about 8 wins away from getting there.
"Our coach talks about it a lot," says shortstop Jack Lynch. "That gets us excited to know that we could go to the Little League World Series. For the Little League World Series, pretty much the whole world is watching you. So it's really exciting.""
"It pumps me up," adds Louie Cardona, the team's 3rd baseman. "I want to be out there in front of thousands of people and ESPN."
Boardman is getting ready for this weekend's State Tournament after winning the local District title. This is the first year Boardman had just one team in the Tournament, as opposed to having an East and a West squad in previous summers. And their combined talents are proving tough to top.
"It used to be way different because we used to compete against each other, talk smack and stuff," says outfielder Preston Stitt. "Now that we're one, it's like alright, we're one team now."
Fellow outfielder Alex Duda agrees. "With two teams, we used to have the good people split up on both teams. But with one team, we would have the good people on one team. So, we'd be better."
And team chemistry came easy to this group, since they were already friends off the field.
"That probably helped out a lot," says starting pitcher Trent Humphreys. "We knew what each others strengths and weaknesses were. And we knew how to boost each other up."
"It's great," says Cardona. "It's a great way to spend your summer, playing baseball."
Boardman takes on Avon on Saturday in Elyria in the first round of the State Tournament.
