By MARC BEJA
³It¹s very exciting,² said Craig Robert, East Meadow Little League commissioner. ³This is the farthest anyone from around here has ever gotten.²
Mustang shortstop Tyler Levine, 14, said, ³Just think about it ‹ we¹re the best team in New York state.²
The team, which has played together for the past two years, comprises 14 players and five coaches selected from the intramural league.
Levine, who is also a pitcher, hurled the second game of the state championship series and was named the Gold Glove player of the tournament.
³He¹s the best, without a doubt,² Coach Kevin O¹Keeffe said of Levine.
³I don¹t know,² Levine said humbly. ³Everyone has their own thing which they do really well.²
On the way to the state finals, East Meadow beat Oceanside and Floral Park in single-elimination games to earn the Long Island championship. ³The best play I ever made came in the game against Oceanside,² said infielder Michael Favuzzi. ³I made a backhanded [catch] with my head turned that saved us a couple of runs.²
In preparation for its next stop, the regional championships in Freehold, N.J., the team practiced every day during the recent heat wave. ³We just keep drinking water,² said starting pitcher Matt Ferner, who won the first game of the state championship series.
Coach John Guarino said that the team has no intentions of losing. ³There are no slackers here,² he said. ³They come to practice every day and they practice hard, and they play to win.²
The Mustangs have no worries about competing at the next level, with many of the players welcoming the pressure. Like Ferner, Dylan O¹Keeffe, 14, said his favorite position is pitcher. ³I like having the team depending on me,² he said. ³We¹re lucky we have such strong pitching.²
Catcher Brian Healy likes calling the shots behind home plate. ³When you¹re a catcher, you¹re involved in almost every play,² he said. ³It keeps it exciting.²
Team members felt confident they would do well in the eastern regionals. ³We took some dirt from the field at the New York state championship,² Coach O¹Keeffe said. ³We¹re gonna sprinkle some of that dirt on the field in New Jersey for good luck.²
³We¹re a well-disciplined team,² said 14-year-old Tom Camastro. ³We¹re going all the way.²
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