BERLIN– Town support swelled this week as the Intermediate All Stars traveled to Livermore, Ca. to take part in their first Little League World Series.
The team won the East Regional Tournament last Friday, beating Commack, N.Y. 13-6. Thirteen players, Kevon Wharton, Hayden Snelsire, Ryan Duncan, Tristan McDonough, Billy Wheatley, Wes Powell, Matt Kinsey, Jack Rosenberg, Colby Figgs, Kevin Beck, Steven Bise, Zach Pletcher and Hayden Cosman, along with Manager Cameron McDonough and coaches Mike Cosman and Bill Wheatley, flew to California on Sunday.
Shawn Eisemann of Delmarva Pharmacy was one of several local business owners who helped support the team financially.
“The parents, players and coaches have enough to worry about,” he said. “I have been lucky enough to be in a position where I could help to soften the financial burden of getting here to there. Some of these players will never have another opportunity or experience like this, so I want them to take the moment in and finish what they started.
“With the caliber of players and coaches – I said they should be able to finish it,” Eisemann continued. “The beauty of this group is that they have played together for so long and have developed a comfort factor with each other. No one is expected to play outside of their skill set to win – just do what you do day in and day out.”
Eisemann has said he hopes the team “finishes the deal.”
“I enjoy helping out the league and with eight kids I’m sure I will be for another 10 years,” he said.
Berlin Coffee House Co-Owner Peggy Hagy raised funds for the team at her shop.
“I think it’s fantastic,” she said. “I’m so proud of them. Somebody’s going to have to put these guys up on pedestals. I’m so happy.”
Steve Pappas, owner of the Greene Turtle, has held several fundraisers for the Intermediate team – as well as the 9-10 team currently playing for a regional championship – at his restaurants.
“One of my best friends is Craig Lynch, and he said (the 9-10 team) only had a few days to raise some money because they had qualified for the states,” he said. “They had to make some money and they had four or five days. I said, ‘look, let just do a funds for friends at the Turtle and see if we can get some money for you.’”
Pappas gave the team 20 percent of their proceeds from the afternoon.
“I think it worked out good for everyone,” he said. “They made a little money and they got to do some raffling and stuff like that. It at least created awareness for them so people would understand what they had to go through.”
The Intermediate team approached Pappas after the 9-10’s success.
“Of course they gave me two days’ notice also, so I said, ‘of course. The same thing that we did for Craig’s team we’ll do for your team,’” Pappas said. “Both days the players, the coaches, the parents – they were into it like you wouldn’t believe. They all wore their uniforms, we put it up on the marquee, we put it on our Facebook and they put it on their Facebook, and I think it helped both teams out, giving them a little bit of money.”
Pappas said both team’s success were huge boost for the town.
“To achieve something like that you really have to be a good team,” he said. “These guys work hard, they work year-round and they all know each other. Their age group stays together from when they’re little kids until where they are now. They just stay together, and I think that’s really cool.”
Berlin Mayor Gee Williams requested a purchase order during Monday’s Mayor and Council meeting, donating $1,000 to the team on behalf of the town.
“From the response that I’ve gotten from folks not only within the town but in the surrounding area, people are extremely excited and very proud of the accomplishments they’ve made already,” he said. “Any further success they have is icing on the cake. They reached a level of success we’ve never experienced before as a small community, and they are doing us proud.”
The mayor said he met one of the players over the weekend.
“I just told him, ‘the whole community is so proud of you – remember it and savor it because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,’” he said.
Williams called the All Stars, “the Coolest Little League Team.”
“It is almost like it’s divine providence, you know?” he said. “The best way I can describe it is it’s Berlin’s time. Every community has its times of struggle and times of opportunity. Berlin has been through both, and fortunately we’re living in a time when we’re beginning to enjoy the fruits of the labor of so many that went before us. This is something you definitely want to enjoy and savor.”
The team won the East Regional Tournament last Friday, beating Commack, N.Y. 13-6. Thirteen players, Kevon Wharton, Hayden Snelsire, Ryan Duncan, Tristan McDonough, Billy Wheatley, Wes Powell, Matt Kinsey, Jack Rosenberg, Colby Figgs, Kevin Beck, Steven Bise, Zach Pletcher and Hayden Cosman, along with Manager Cameron McDonough and coaches Mike Cosman and Bill Wheatley, flew to California on Sunday.
Shawn Eisemann of Delmarva Pharmacy was one of several local business owners who helped support the team financially.
“The parents, players and coaches have enough to worry about,” he said. “I have been lucky enough to be in a position where I could help to soften the financial burden of getting here to there. Some of these players will never have another opportunity or experience like this, so I want them to take the moment in and finish what they started.
“With the caliber of players and coaches – I said they should be able to finish it,” Eisemann continued. “The beauty of this group is that they have played together for so long and have developed a comfort factor with each other. No one is expected to play outside of their skill set to win – just do what you do day in and day out.”
Eisemann has said he hopes the team “finishes the deal.”
“I enjoy helping out the league and with eight kids I’m sure I will be for another 10 years,” he said.
Berlin Coffee House Co-Owner Peggy Hagy raised funds for the team at her shop.
“I think it’s fantastic,” she said. “I’m so proud of them. Somebody’s going to have to put these guys up on pedestals. I’m so happy.”
Steve Pappas, owner of the Greene Turtle, has held several fundraisers for the Intermediate team – as well as the 9-10 team currently playing for a regional championship – at his restaurants.
“One of my best friends is Craig Lynch, and he said (the 9-10 team) only had a few days to raise some money because they had qualified for the states,” he said. “They had to make some money and they had four or five days. I said, ‘look, let just do a funds for friends at the Turtle and see if we can get some money for you.’”
Pappas gave the team 20 percent of their proceeds from the afternoon.
“I think it worked out good for everyone,” he said. “They made a little money and they got to do some raffling and stuff like that. It at least created awareness for them so people would understand what they had to go through.”
The Intermediate team approached Pappas after the 9-10’s success.
“Of course they gave me two days’ notice also, so I said, ‘of course. The same thing that we did for Craig’s team we’ll do for your team,’” Pappas said. “Both days the players, the coaches, the parents – they were into it like you wouldn’t believe. They all wore their uniforms, we put it up on the marquee, we put it on our Facebook and they put it on their Facebook, and I think it helped both teams out, giving them a little bit of money.”
Pappas said both team’s success were huge boost for the town.
“To achieve something like that you really have to be a good team,” he said. “These guys work hard, they work year-round and they all know each other. Their age group stays together from when they’re little kids until where they are now. They just stay together, and I think that’s really cool.”
Berlin Mayor Gee Williams requested a purchase order during Monday’s Mayor and Council meeting, donating $1,000 to the team on behalf of the town.
“From the response that I’ve gotten from folks not only within the town but in the surrounding area, people are extremely excited and very proud of the accomplishments they’ve made already,” he said. “Any further success they have is icing on the cake. They reached a level of success we’ve never experienced before as a small community, and they are doing us proud.”
The mayor said he met one of the players over the weekend.
“I just told him, ‘the whole community is so proud of you – remember it and savor it because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,’” he said.
Williams called the All Stars, “the Coolest Little League Team.”
“It is almost like it’s divine providence, you know?” he said. “The best way I can describe it is it’s Berlin’s time. Every community has its times of struggle and times of opportunity. Berlin has been through both, and fortunately we’re living in a time when we’re beginning to enjoy the fruits of the labor of so many that went before us. This is something you definitely want to enjoy and savor.”