On July 14, the Newton Southeast Little League (NSELL) 10U Williamsport team advanced to the semifinal round of the annual State Championship, marking the first time in six years that any NSELL team has advanced beyond the District round of the competition.
After winning the District level with a 5-1 record, the team went on to emerge victorious from the Sectional round after going 4-0. If they win the State Semifinals this Saturday, they will play in the State Championship game.
Assistant coach and NSELL board member Ben Schlesinger said that the team’s exceptional defense has been crucial to its success in the championship.
“I think our superpower is run prevention,” he said. “We have a lot of kids who throw a lot of strikes, and we have an outstanding defense that makes the plays when the ball gets put in play. Our opponents find it very hard to figure out how to get runners around the bases on us.”
During practices, the team consistently devotes time to workshopping the fundamentals of the sport, going all the way back to throwing and catching. Team manager Ethan Soloman said that taking players’ core skills to the next level has built a strong foundation for their success.
“We try to have them visualize playing first baseman catching the final throw of the tournament, or being the shortstop making the final throw of the tournament,” he said. “If you take that mentality to every throw and every catch, you create really good habits, and then playing good catch becomes second nature.”
Coach Jackson Wilkinson said that building confidence in players is essential to creating a strong team.
“Lots of coaches think of their job as correcting kids on what they should be doing. To some extent, that’s true, but framing it in a way that offers possibility and positivity gets players, and therefore teams, a lot farther,” he said. “It’s part of the DNA of our league and part of the DNA of our community. We’re really happy to try to embrace that and carry it forward.”
Assistant coach Thomas Horstmann said that players’ exceptional attitude during practices and commitment to the sport has helped them improve as a team.
“They really try to play with strong effort and focus in terms of practices, ready to play, to learn, to develop,” he said. “Baseball is a hard sport, [and] staying positive and supporting each other has just been amazing from this team.”
Wilkinson said that the team’s dynamic both during and outside of play has contributed directly to its success.
“As a consequence of trusting each other on the field, they have really gelled with each other on the bench and off the field,” he said. “It seems like we have a bunch of folks who might have known each other before, from playing with each other, but have become fast friends at this point, which is always really great to see.”
First baseman Noah Schlesinger said that a strong sense of camaraderie between him and his teammates fosters a positive playing environment, no matter the circumstances.
“We pick each other up when we get down,” he said. “That keeps a good momentum going. We keep playing hard throughout the whole game, win or lose.”
Assistant coach Thomas Horstmann said that no matter the outcome of the championship, the team should be proud of all they have accomplished.
“It’s certainly fair to say [that] not many teams have been able to get this far,” he said. “It really highlights and exemplifies what they’ve been able to do in terms of their focus and effort and hard work.”
Theo Younkin is a Fig City News intern and a rising senior at Newton South High School, where he is Co-Managing Editor of the Lion’s Roar.
