New England Regional baseball champions, the 12U Greenwich All-Stars are just under three weeks away from competing in the Cal Ripken Majors 70 World Series in Branson, Missouri and just made history in Cooperstown, NY, the birthplace of baseball.
On the fields at Cooperstown Dreams Park, the boys played hard with slick fielding and strong hitting while facing teams from all over the country and landing in the Elite Eight making it further than any other team in Greenwich history.
“Tremendous week for the team,” said Coach Jeff Mini. “The boys played with skill, grit, joy and belief!”
The 12u Greenwich All Stars collected 131 runs over 8 games. They went 5-0 in pool play, notching impressive wins against teams from California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey and Michigan. Out of 80 teams from around the country, they earned a spot in the Sweet Sixteen and snatched a lead late in the game with an exciting 16-15 victory against New York’s Francisco Notorious landing them in the Elite Eight! That round pitted them against the Farm System Prospects from Louisiana who won the game 14-8. The Greenwich All Stars were happy with their successful run at Cooperstown.
They expected and got some tough competition which served as preparation for the Cal Ripken Majors 70 World Series, an exclusive tournament of champions that runs from August 4th-13th at the iconic Ballparks of America facility and features the most elite teams from across the nation and around the globe.
The Greenwich All-Stars won the New England Regional Championship in the summer of 2021. That win punched their ticket to the Cal Ripken Majors/70 World Series – the first time Greenwich has landed back at the World Series since 2007.
The core of the 12U Greenwich All Stars 2022 team, playing together under Coach Jeff Mini for the second consecutive year include: Will Conte, Julian Dyson, Gavin Kirsch, Maddox Monterisi, Jake Natale, Jaxson Perez, Cal Tompkins, Luke Wells and Liam Zeller plus recent team additions Lachlan Hill, Max Corbo and Mason Stoleru. Also at the helm as assistant coaches are Steve Vlahovich, Brian Natale and Dave Tompkins.
In addition to their on-field efforts, the boys have an online popcorn fundraiser running for 4 days only beginning Monday July 18 at 5:00pm through Friday July 22 at 5:00pm.
Double Good Popcorn will share 50% profits with the team which will help to offset some of the costs associated with the trip to Branson, MO.
The Double Good pop-up shop can be found here.
Back: Assistant Coach Dave Tompkins (not pictured Assistant Coach Steve Vlahovich). Photo: Katelyn Dyson
