It was another sterling summer for young Hamilton Township baseball players, as the three Little League-affiliated leagues swept all five District 12 Tournament championships, while Nottingham’s 10-year-olds added a Section 3 title to the haul.
But what’s interesting is the story within the story. As travel baseball sadly continues to tear away the fabric of little league All-Star tournaments (and legion, and Babe Ruth), District 12 participants have gone from anywhere between 12 and 15 teams from 20 years ago, to around five or six this year.
And yet, despite the fracturing, the township programs put teams from all three leagues into their respective tournaments for ages 8, 10, 12 and 11-13 (Intermediate 50-70). The 11s were the lone exception, as Nottingham had the lone entry.
While it is discouraging that other townships can’t assemble one all-star team, it’s impressive that Hamilton consistently produces three.
“We have some good people in this area that continue to invest their time and efforts with the kids, which helps them fall in love with the game at a young age, have fun and keep learning,” Nottingham 10-year-old manager Mike Bongrazio said. “It’s just a great area for baseball.”
Colin Kell, whose team gave Nottingham back-to-back 12-year-old District 12 champions, feels the turnout is a true indication that Hamilton is a baseball town.
“Baseball is still important in the township,” Kell said. “Also, there are a lot of really good players and volunteers that make our leagues successful. Hamilton baseball has a bright future.”
Sunnybrae 8-year-old manager Tom “Fuji” Fink, whose squad reached the Section 3 championship game, is a former soccer player who comes from a renowned soccer family. But his father, uncles, and himself were all Nottingham LL participants.
Fink gets it.
“Baseball has been a huge part of the Hamilton community for generations and families remain a part of our established traditions,” he said. “The commitment to baseball stretches far beyond becoming the next great player to come out of our township. It is ingrained in all of us from an early age to continue the love of the game and sense of community.
“Although numbers are down, the love of the game is not. For those who continue to play, the passion to succeed and represent the community continues to grow. The township has always supported the efforts of our local leagues and we do our best to honor the long history of success in this sport. As coaches, we feel we have an obligation to pass along the love of the game to our players so that baseball will continue to bring families together for years to come.”
Adam Reymann, who guided Nottingham to a second straight 11-year-old district title, agrees with Fink that it is within the community fabric.
“Somehow we convince parents to prioritize practices and playing over typical summer activities and the kids want to be there, every single day,” Reymann said. “The younger kids look up to the older kids, and learn early on that this is something to be proud and a part of.”
Ryan Feeney, whose HTRBA troops claimed the 50-70 District 12 crown, noted that the fact Hamilton is a small “big” town gets kids from all over the township interested in the game as youths and anxious to keep playing one another as they get older.
“I think the proximity of the leagues to each other and the fact that a lot of these kids know each other outside of baseball creates a natural rivalry,” Feeney said. “The kids have pride playing for their home league and I believe that encourages the younger kids to want to be a part of that too. So the cycle just repeats itself year after year.”
The township, and in particular Nottingham, has been set on the win cycle in recent seasons. Since the start of the decade, township teams have won 14 of the 16 District 12 championships played. Scoffers will say it’s because Hamilton has the most teams each year, but that’s the point.
It still matters in the township. It grabs the players when they are young and doesn’t let go. Championships in districts, sectionals and anything beyond is still worth striving for.
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“It’s amazing. It means the world to these kids,” said Bongrazio after his team fought from the elimination bracket to win sectionals. “Going in, we knew it was going to be difficult. Section 3 is arguably the toughest in the state, and we’re so proud to be added to the list of the (19) Nottingham teams that did it before us. They knew that with each win, it was one step closer to coming home. It was special for the kids to play (in the state tournament) in front of our Nottingham family.”
The states were held at Sayen Park from July 23-27, and included Glen Rock, Bayonne and Harrison Township. Nottingham was attempting to win the league’s second straight 10-year-old state title.
After going 4-0 in districts and outscoring opponents 38-8, NLL won its first section game before being dropped into the elimination bracket by Clark. The Square Boys rallied by beating North Howell, and then rolling to wins of 13-2 and 12-0 over Clark.
“We beat ourselves, we were flat, and put too much pressure on ourselves in that first loss,” Bongrazio said. “They expected to win and when it didn’t happen, it was a wake-up call. Losing that game ignited a fire that we were waiting for, and they finished by playing their three best games so far this summer. It was a total team effort with contributions from all 12 of them.”
“We are strong with pitching and defense,” Bongrazio said prior to the states. “That helps keep the games close. Once the bats got hot, they never looked back. We have a good mix of speed and power, they can be a tough lineup to deal with. They accomplished something very special.”
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As did the Sunnybrae 8s, who dismantled four District 12 foes by a combined 47-3 score and lost two Section 3 games by one run each. Fuji’s Fighters won its Section 3 opener before losing to Jackson, 4-3. After beating Middletown 10-9, they could not get to the “if” game as Clark took a 3-2 win.
Fink said the coaching staff had high expectations that were actually exceeded “by a large margin” by the players. The rallying word was “focus” and the team lived by it.
“What we did in districts doesn’t happen by accident,” Fink said. “We got to see their mental toughness and resiliency challenged the further we advanced. We played from ahead throughout the district tournament but when we got to sectionals there were a number of times these players showed their confidence in each other and did not panic as they played from behind. It was impressive to see 8-year-old boys navigate the emotional ups and downs of a baseball game.”
Fink said that despite fan interest that grew as the team advanced, the players blotted it all out and maintained focus.
“They were just playing baseball together as kids,” Fink said. “It was a bonus that some core memories and hopefully friendships that last a lifetime were created. What I liked most about this team was the brotherhood and chemistry the kids developed. We as coaches got to see how much fun baseball can be when the boys are playing for each other.”
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The Nottingham 12s won the league’s second straight 12-year-old tournament and won their second as a team after claiming the 11-year-old crown last year.
“Winning a second (straight) district title obviously means a lot to Nottingham Little League and it shows the commitment we have from our board and all the volunteers that make the league run year after year,” Kell said. “I believe it’s also testament to all the players and coaches that came before us that set the standard of winning. This team believed in one another and played for each other.”
Nottingham breezed through the district tournament, going 4-0 and out-scoring opponents 39-4.
“Just a great group of kids that love the game and come out and compete everyday whether it’s in practice or games,” Kell said. “I liked how they pushed each other to get better every day and I can’t say enough about coaches Bryan Rogers and Tom Kostro.
Unfortunately for the 12s they dropped two one-run games in the sectionals.
“We had the lead in both games and couldn’t hold on,” Kell said. “We made some uncharacteristic mistakes and couldn’t tack on runs after we got the lead.”
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Another repeat winner were the Nottingham 11s, who won not just districts but a state title last year as 10-year-olds.
In districts, Nottingham had an easy win to start play but was tested by Bordentown in 4-1 and 2-1 wins. In the championship game, Gennaro Salzano’s RBI single plated Matteo Pandolfini with what proved to be the winning run.
“The competition in districts this year was a lot stronger, we faced some talented teams,” Reymann said. “The Nottingham Little League community, especially within this team, is unmatched. They felt the support during districts, and in sections, on and off the field. That continued to motivate them to be there for each other in tough situations.”
Nottingham opened the sectionals with a 3-2 loss to Two Rivers East, dropping it immediately into the elimination bracket. The Sayen Gang defeated North Howell and Clark handily, but suffered another one-run decision to Two Rivers.
“When we lost the first game and it put us in the loser’s bracket, we knew we had to grind,” Reymann said. “ We literally played every day, and knocked off each opponent until we faced them again. I think we were evenly matched, but we just didn’t have timely hitting.”
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HTRBA made sure every league took home a district title when the Intermediate 50-70 team used a powerful offense to win districts.
The Mercerville boys scored 45 runs in four wins, with its only close game coming in a 5-4 victory over Sunnybrae. It was a successful ending to a long journey.
“Most of these kids have been playing together since they were seven years old,” manager Ryan Feeney said. “This was their first title together so it was a very special win for them.”
The team played outstanding baseball in all phases of the game, Feeney said. “It truly was a team effort from top to bottom. That may sound a bit cliche but every player on the roster contributed to our success. They just always seemed to be able to come up with the big play, the big strikeout or the big hit when we needed it.”
The 50/70’s went 1-2 in the sectionals, losing twice to champion Middletown.
Feeney said. “This was new territory for a lot of the kids and I was impressed with how they handled the added pressure,” Feeney said. “I never felt like we were out of a game, and I don’t think they did either.”
The Nottingham Little League 12-year-old District 12 champs (front row) Andrew Fennelli, Evan Rogers, Joey Gargione, Michael Walsh, Joseph Duva, Ben Kostro, Ryan Kell, and (back row): coach Tom Kostro, coach Bryan Rogers, Jeffrey Iorio, Michael Tilton, Jake Kostoplis, Gabe Correa, Ayden Peach and manager Colin Kell.,
Sunnybrae Little League 8’s (front row) Sal Borges, Colin Kelleher, Jayden Beck, Bryce Bell, Ethan Scheps, (back row) Grayson Recchia, Luke Kinsella, Joe Brown, Hudson DeSimone, Kalan Sweeney, Gray Fink, Colton Falconio and (coaches) Paul Scheps, Tom Fink, Sean Kelleher and Ed Kinsella.,
