Rockville Centre Little League celebrate milestone season at annual awards dinner

While the Texas Rangers were busy celebrating winning game five of the 2023 World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Rockville Centre Little League held a celebration of its own to wrap-up an eventful 72nd baseball season.

To help recognize the players and teams who made this year such a success, the RVC Little League invited two special guests — New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil and Molloy University pitcher Brianna Macias — to help present the awards during the annual league dinner at the Coral House in Baldwin on Nov. 1.

During the festivities, the league recognized several of its teams for their achievements this season. They also presented awards for sportsmanship and the Most Valuable Players in the league.

Don Urban, a member of the league since 1987, was presented with the Mort Geller Award this year for his many years of dedication and service to the RVC Little League.

“Don has been New York State District 30 Administrator for over 20 years and has donated countless hours to RVC Little League,” Peter Klugewicz, president of Rockville Centre Little League, said.

It was a milestone year for the girls with the 14-and-under Juniors Softball team, who went undefeated in the regular season and continued to dominate the competition to win the District 30 championship, the Section 4 championship, and — for the first time in village history — the coveted New York state championship.

“One thing that we focused on after we won the sectionals and moved into states was that the girls just stayed focused on the task at hand and knew that their talents would always win out,” Colin Connelly, team manager, said following their victory in July. 

This was also the first time a team from Rockville Centre secured a spot in the Little League Softball World Series Eastern Regional Tournament in Orange, Connecticut.

The team proudly represented New York against several of the top teams in the country. And while the team lost in the elimination round, it was a memorable experience that these players will remember for many years to come.

RVC Little League also recognized three of its Williamsport teams for winning the District 30 championship title in each of their respective age brackets.

The 10-and-under boys were undefeated in the regular season and would triumph over Lynbrook and Oceanside to claim the D30 championship title in July.

Despite a rough start to the season, the 11-and-under boys would bounce back to win the D30 championship in a (3-2) rematch over Oceanside.

The 12-and-under boys were also put to the test. After losing the first game of the championships, the team was able to rally back against Oceanside in unexpected two-day finale that was delayed due to the weather.

Unfortunately, the three Williamsport teams were eliminated in the sectional round, while the relentless Massapequa Coast 12-and-under team went on to win the New York state championship title for the third straight year.