There are numerous articles and social media posts of the Little League World Series teams out and about in the Williamsport area going to local restaurants, going on the Hiawatha, and even taking trips to amusement parks.

If you wonder who tells them the great local spots or who helps the kids throughout the day that would be a special duo who volunteer their time to become a team host for the teams who are lucky enough to make it all the way to South Williamsport.

Pete Lupacchino has been volunteering as a team host for 33 years and his partner Josh Lupacchino is his son who has been hosting with his father for 12 years. This year they got the honor of hosting South Czech Republic LL of Brnzo, Czechia who were representing the Europe and Africa region.

“My dad started hosting in 1958, and at that time I was 9-10 years old, and I was coming over here with him every day and hang out with the team. Back then it wasn’t as strict as it is now, I’d eat with them and practice with them, and being around it so much it just gets into your blood. My family has been doing this for 90 years, so we all love to do it.” Pete said.

Pete was also able to bring his son Josh with him as well to the Grove and hang out with the different teams.

“It’s just an experience that most people don’t get to have,” Pete said.

The Lupacchinos agree on that what makes them come back each year is the kids. They love that they can get close to them, especially the International teams, because they are in a new environment and want to learn as much as they can. They also get more time with the international teams because most of them stay for the whole tournament due to travel plans.

“Don’t get me wrong, the American kids as great too, but they can go out with their parents and they usually run around with them and have a good time, whereas the foreign kids they tend to get closer to you,” Pete said. “For us baseball is secondary, it’s making the connection to the kids. We’re truly the only group of volunteers left at Little League, but if they ever started to pay us, I wouldn’t do it because it then becomes a job, and it’s not a job to me.”

Gary Weaver has been a team host for 27 years and his partner Doug Alexander is on his 20th year. They are hosting Juan A. Bibiloni LL who are representing the Puerto Rico region in the World Series. Weaver started hosting because he had friends and colleagues who were hosts years prior and saw what they did and was intrigued by it. Alexander was brought in by Weaver after a few years of Weaver telling him to come do it and that it is the best.

“He said you ought to come over and doing his and a couple of years later I finally got in and it’s been great ever since,” Alexander stated.

“For me it’s really just an issue of just offering hospitality internationally to people from around the world, that also includes baseball games,” Weaver added.

Alexander loves helping people and making sure that the kids have what they need while also being a leader for the kids and show them the right way to do things. Weaver wants to make sure that the kids get the full Little League World Series experience and not have it all just about playing baseball but also having the world experience.

While being team hosts both Alexander and Weaver have kept in contact with some of the Little Leaguers that the hosted, just recently the Great Lakes Regional Representatives from 2011 had a 10-year reunion for there local Little League and they invited them down to Kentucky for the opening ceremonies and had the opportunity to see them all again along with the parents.

“It was great to see all the kids coming back and their parents, it was pretty fun.” Alexander said. “Social media does allow you to kind of follow the kids and their families and see where they go athletically and otherwise, we hosted a team from Cuba two years ago and in December I went to Cuba and was able to visit with and that was super special,” Weaver stated.

When asked about the hardest part of their job they all said that it was saying goodbye to the kids.

“For two-ish weeks it’s an intense relationship that we have with these kids, so saying goodbye is our hardest part.” Alexander stated.

That shows that not only do the team host make in impact on the kids playing, but the kids also make an impact on the hosts as well.

Some of the fun off-campus activates that happen this year included five teams going to Pittsburgh to watch a Pittsburgh Pirates game.

“It was good because many of the International player will never see a Major League stadium and the MLB was great in hosting us,” Alexander said.

The Europe and Africa players were able to take a trip the Hershey Park on Thursday as well as go on the Pittsburgh trip on Wednesday.

“We all have to remember that they are 11- and 12-year-old kids. Even though they are here for baseball, they still have to be taken off the fields as well,” Josh Lupacchino said.

The Europe and Africa players were going to UPMC on Friday in Williamsport to play a wiffle ball game with some of the local kids on the hospital’s front lawn. The kids from Puerto Rico were going to take a trip to the original Little League to really see where Little League first this started, then have a trip on the Hiawatha.