By Sean McDonald
For many boys and girls in the South Bay, summer means spending countless hours on the beach but for young baseball players, it’s time for Little, Junior, and Senior League All Star baseball and hopes of making it to the biggest stage, the World Series tournament.
In the 12-year-old Little League division, Redondo Beach had no problem cruising to a District 36 championship, with wins over Silver Spur, Manhattan Beach, and El Segundo twice. The team will begin play in the Section 4 tournament on Saturday at The Bad News Bears Fields in Los Angeles.
The Redondo Juniors All Stars (ages 12-14) secured the District 36 championship with two wins over Manhattan Beach, one coming via forfeit due to an illegal player, and the other from a 6-0 victory.
The team kicked off the Section 4 tournament with an 11-1 victory over Lawndale before beating host North Venice 7-5 then 12-8 in the championship game.
Redondo advances to the Sothern California North Sub-Division III tournament that begins Sunday, July 17 in Santa Paula.
Team members of the Redondo Junior All-Star team include Eli Melo-Natnat, Jackson Juvera, Dylan McDonough, Cory Kim, Tobe Sullivan, Jace Sullivan, Blake Fanthorpe, Collin Wong, Isaiah Flores, Shane Shafer, Dylan Schneider, Brody Wimmer, Brandon Burk and Kelso Burke.
Redondo’s 10-year-old Red All Star team also captured the District 36 championship defeating Rolling Hills 12-4. The team plays its Section 4 opening-round game on Saturday at Westchester Little League.
The Manhattan Beach Senior All Stars (ages 13-16) decided to make things interesting in the Section 4 tournament, opening with a 7-6 loss against Lennox.
“Honestly I think it was just some first game nerves and some bad luck,” catcher Chris Penna said. “We thought we could cruise through the game and we ended up learning the hard way.”
Despite the first game loss, the team managed to rebound and prove resilient as they battled back through the loser’s bracket and defeated Santa Monica, then Lennox twice to win the championship.
“We knew we were the best team there and that we just needed to concentrate and not get lazy and that we would be able to win,” Penna said.
The Senior team advanced to the Southern California North Sub Division III tournament, winning its opening game Sunday with a 14-8 back-and-forth victory against East Yorba Hills.
“We all know that our goal is to get to the World Series,” infielder Joey Acosta said. “We just have to make sure that we take this process step-by-step and focus one pitch at a time.”
The Seniors continue tournament play throughout the week and, if the team wins the championship, they will face the winner of the Southern Division for the Southern California Championship.
Team members include Caden Dorn, Chase Meidroth, Chasen Ozawa, Chris Penna, Colin Livingston, Colton Sizemore, Drew Dalquist, Dylan Dennis, Garrett Auville, James Tullio, Jared Karros, Jesse Storey, Joey Acosta, Nathan Nykaza, Nick Carpino, Robbie Knowles, manager Carlos Rojas, and coaches Hugh Quattlebaum and Aaron Meyers.
“We have a pretty well rounded team overall,” Quattlebaum said. “Our main weakness right now is that there are guys also playing in American Legion for Mira Costa so there are some tired players, but I think we’ll be fine in the long run.”
All-Star teams from Manhattan Beach Little League have enjoyed tremendous success in recent years, with a Senior League World Series appearance in 2010, and Junior League World Series appearances in 2012 and 2014, as well as competing in many regional tournaments.
“It’s an exciting time,” Penna said. “Playing with your friends is great, and it’s even better when it’s a big goal that you are working towards.”
