They played with heart and grit, with aching shoulders and an injured leg. They lost a big game on Saturday and spilled some tears, but lifted a community 1,700 miles away. The Boerne All-Stars finished fourth at the Little League World Series on Sunday, but falling short is not their big takeaway from Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
The “Boys of Summer” will remember Kole Newson’s grand slam and Julian Hurst’s dominant pitching that carried them to the U.S. Championship game.
They’ll remember Doc Mogford driving in runs and Gage Steubing flying around the bases, Cooper Hastings throwing clutch relief and Jett Matthews playing error-free at shortstop.
Above all else, perhaps, they’ll remember parents at Lamade Stadium and a community back home swelling with pride. The city of Boerne (pop. 20,707) all but shut down to throw watch parties for 11- and 12-year-olds playing before nearly 28,000 fans on Saturday. A parade is scheduled for the Southwest region champions Monday afternoon.
“Can’t say enough about these boys and the experience we have had this summer,” Boerne baseball coach Jonathan Collins wrote on Facebook. “They all exhibit tremendous talent but their grit and resilience is second to none.”
Parents stood and cheered after the All-Stars fell to Venezuela, 4-3, in Sunday’s third-place game. And why not? In the middle of a tight game, the boys struck a remarkable picture of sportsmanship.
Standing at second base, Caden Guffey shook hands with a Venezuelan infielder. Playing first, Hurst fist-bumped a Venezuelan runner. In between were players in different colored jerseys exchanging high-fives.
After the game, players knelt in a circle on the infield, locked arms and bowed their heads. Jessica Steubing, Gage’s mother, posted a photo on her Facebook story with this: “How it should be done … both teams in prayer together.”
“The kids have inspired fans from all over the U.S., from all over the world,” said Boerne Little League President Chris Carey. “We are proud of these kids and coaches for this journey.”
The journey was historic. No Boerne Little League team had ever advanced out of Texas until this summer. According to Carey, there are 6,883 Little Leagues in the world. And there are more than 3 million Little League players in the U.S.
Twelve from Boerne made it to the final four at the LLWS. “That itself,” Carey said, “is pretty amazing.” .
Amazing fits. Countless kids’ dream of playing in Williamsport. But how many get to see replays of themselves on ESPN? Or their highlights shared across multiple social media platforms? Or have little kids approach them during games, asking for autographs?
Newson, son of Boerne manager Justin Newson, is an inspirational story. On the first day of third grade, he underwent open heart surgery to repair a heart valve blockage. Weeks later, he was playing ball.
ESPN showed a photo of 8-year-old Kole in a hospital bed and interviewed his mother. “We were just grateful for his health,” Kristy Newson told an ESPN reporter from the stands. “The fact that he’s taken it to this level is awesome.”
In the LLWS opener against Pennsylvania, Kole hit a grand slam, the first of his life. Kristy’s reaction? “Utter shock,” she said.
Shock also describes the sudden turn in Saturday’s game. The All-Stars led Florida, 4-0, until an inexplicable set of injuries to three pitchers triggered a rally and put them down, 5-4. Boerne regained the lead and took a 7-5 lead into the sixth, three outs from advancing to the World Series championship game.
But with Hurst and Newson nursing sore pitching shoulders and Mogford knocked from the hill with a screaming line drive off his thigh, Boerne’s pitching and stout defense collapsed. Florida staged an epic comeback to win, 10-7.
The All-Stars shook off the defeat and took an early 3-0 lead against Venezuela. Errors and wild pitches cost Boerne, allowing Venezuela to rally and win.
The All-Stars won 17 straight postseason games before falling to Florida. They committed only one error in the first three games of the LLWS. They impressed fans with their execution and parents with their sportsmanship. They made friends with kids from all over the world.
“I would see fans wearing Southwest gear and I’d ask where they were from,” Carey said. “Many were from Texas. But I would get responses from other states and countries. A lot of Southwest gear was sold out in the store.”
Small-town team … big impact … world stage. That’s the legacy of the Boerne All-Stars. Let the parade begin.
