Rockville Centre Little League baseball and softball has proven to be unstoppable once again. For the first time in the program’s 74 years, all of the village teams that took part in the District 30 tournament won their divisions after undefeated seasons — the first time in the history of the district that any town’s Little League has achieved such a feat.
“District 30 is basically the first round of Williamsport,” 10U softball coach Natalie Gallagher said. “The Little League World Series is hosted in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and winning District 30 is the first step in getting there. The teams that compete to get to the championship are often referred to as ‘Williamsport teams.’”
District 30 comprises teams from Baldwin, Freeport, Hewlett, Island Park, Long Beach, Lynbrook/East Rockaway, Oceanside and Rockville Centre. Six Rockville Centre teams were entered in the tournament — 10U, 12U and Junior softball squads and 10U, 11U and 12U baseball teams.
“Everything we entered, we won,” Rockville Centre Little League President Peter Klugewicz said. Klugewicz has been involved in the village’s Little League for 17 years, coached his children for 14 years and served as president for three years.
The village Little League was founded in 1951 by William E. Seward, Thomas Nofi and its first president, Edward J. Bligh, according to its website. The baseball program has built a formidable reputation on Long Island and in New York state, as has the softball program, which began in 1999.
Rockville Centre’s battle to compete in Little League championships begins in the spring, when there are tryouts for the Williamsport teams. Young athletes who play in the village’s Little League during the school year are welcome to try out, 12 players are chosen per team, and the squads quickly get to work on improving their skills.
Gallagher’s team began practicing at the end of May. “We started practicing five, six days a week, all of June and now July,” she said. “The girls have put a lot of hours into this team, practicing two hours a day, basically perfecting their skills, making sure that we’re sound on our defense and we’re up to par on our offence, in our hitting.” Gallagher coaches alongside John Briody, Joe Maccone and Brady McLoone.
Every team seems to have the same work ethic. Joe Muir’s 10U baseball team has also remained motivated since the beginning of the season. “We started practicing June 3 or 4, pretty much every day,” Muir said. “Really saw a lot of progression over the last month and a half. These boys just work really hard. They grind out every game. No game was what I would say ‘easy.’ It was all a fight. These kids are really showing that they’re fighters.”
The other 10U baseball coaches are James Arrante, Rob Santoro and Romain Ramdas.
In recent weeks, the players on these teams have shown that they are not only talented competitors, but have character as well. Gallagher highlighted her pride, saying that her hardworking team deserved the win.
“The girls have been working hard, and it’s a good group of girls,” she said. “They mesh well together. They’re kind, their empathetic, they have great sportsmanship. It couldn’t have happened to a better group of girls. From a coaching perspective, we couldn’t be happier that all the hard work and effort that the girls have put in through practice has paid off.”
Muir describes the dynamic of his team as “focused.” “All 12 of these boys are competitors,” he said. “They all want to win. They all want to be the best, and I think they all really know the importance of hard work, and how that hard work translates into success. It’s really amazing — these boys are all such great human beings, and so far it’s been a real privilege to coach them … I couldn’t be more proud of these boys.”
“We want to thank definitely the parents, the players, the coaches and managers for all the time and dedication that they give to the Rockville Centre Little League,” Klugewicz said, “which is what makes it happen.”
Teams that win district titles move on to sectional competition. In their first sectionals game on July 12, the 10U softball team lost to East Williston, but they beat New Hyde Park the next day. On Monday night, the 10U girls came back to defeat East Williston, eliminating them from the sectionals tournament.
The 10U baseball team won their first Sectionals game on Saturday, over Floral Park, but lost to Port Washington on Sunday.
