Maine has broken through to get to LLWS
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When a Little League team captures a state championship, a local parade through that respective town usually follows. Indeed, that was the case when Gray/New Gloucester/Raymond secured its state title a few weeks ago.
But there, the parade season started even earlier. This time, winning a district championship produced a parade. And with good reason.
GNG/Raymond had never before won the District 6 title. Finally toppling one of the state's most demanding districts was cause for celebration. And the celebration has turned into one big party.
Now, just imagine the parade GNG/Raymond will receive when it returns home from South Williamsport. GNG/Raymond has kept right on making history and is competing at the Little League World Series for the first time after earning the New England championship and making its Series debut Thursday against Washington. What a joyous year it has been for this small town which is living some big dreams.
"It's an absolutely brand new experience and a huge accomplishment for our town, and we've had Little League for a long time. We've never won districts or gone on a winning streak like that," GNG/Raymond Little League president Nate Stone said. "It's been fun and amazing to watch."
"Our goal was to just get out of districts. Our league has never done that and we knew we had a special group that could make a run for it," GNG/Raymond manager Brad Shelley said. "That was a big achievement in its own right and we just went one game; one opponent at a time at states and the boys were playing great baseball and it continued at regionals and now here we are in Baseball Heaven."
What a ride it has been. GNG/Raymond did not focus on the past this summer, but only on the present and blazing its own trail. Now this team has carved out not just a unique place in league history, but also in state history. GNC/Raymond is just the second Maine team to compete at the Series and the first since the 2005 Westbrook team 18 years ago.
Sean Murphy was the players' middle school health teacher last school year and knows exactly what they are feeling. He lived the dream in 2005, pitching, fielding and hitting well for that Westbrook regional champion. The players might not understand what they are doing now because everything is happening so fast, but Murphy does and knows how truly special this run has become.
"It's a very rare accomplishment and that's the greatest thing about it. It had been 18 years and nobody had done it. It's really awesome to see them be able to pull it off in dominant fashion," Murphy said. "This is something that will bond them forever."
That bond started growing especially tight during districts when GNG/Raymond started its Series push. The league felt like it had a strong team last year but was quickly eliminated in districts, dropping two close games. This team knocked down that wall which had blocked GNG/Raymond for so long, outscoring five opponents, 32-2. The team's primary mission had been accomplished.
Maybe it was because the pressure was off or maybe it was because this is a fantastic baseball team, but GNG/Raymond just kept going strong from there. In reality, it's a combination of both factors and GNG/Raymond took its show on the road battering a strong state field, defeating those four opponents by an impressive 38-5 margin. The winning continued at regionals as GNG/Raymond added another title banner, another huge achievement and more history while upping its record to 12-0.
"Anything after districts was bonus baseball. Our league had never made it past districts, so we just told the kids to play loose and aggressive and have fun. There were big obstacles, but there was no pressure," Shelley said. "We've had nothing but support from the entire community. Each team we beat along the way kept reaching out to us and wishing us well and that's when they realized they're part of something bigger than themselves. The fact that they have that support system without the expectations of getting to Williamsport allowed them to shoot for the stars and now they're enjoying something few 12-year-old boys ever get to experience."
All the players have done equal lifting, too. GNC/Raymond carries a U.S.-high 14 players, something that other teams may shy away from with the new continuous lineup rule. GNC/Raymond, however, has used the new rule to showcase its depth with each player doing something big along the way to help GNC/Raymond make history at each tournament stop.
That particularly shined through at regionals. GNC/Raymond and New Hampshire were scoreless through six innings, but the Maine state champions never cracked and scored three seventh-inning runs to win, 3-0. Massachusetts put the winning runs on base in the sixth inning of the final when ace Kayden Oliver reached his pitch limit. Unfazed, Caleb Barker entered with runners on second and third and just one out and struck out the final two batters.
"We want to build as deep a league as we can. The goal of our league is to get everyone playing great baseball and it's showing now," Stone said. "We have that depth."
They also have not just a community, but an entire state, embracing them. This is Maine's team now and what a team it has become. From smaller goals became something which only existed in GNC/Raymond Little Leaguers' dreams before.
However this run ends, this team will never forget what it achieved this summer. That may be the best victory of all.
"Baseball is such a great tool to use for life lessons and examples. We preach to kids that you can't succeed on this field by yourself. You have to do it as a team and this summer they have grown into such fine young men even though they are still young boys," Shelley said. "We want them to say, 'Those kids from Maine sure are respectful and carry themselves with class,' and that's what they said in Bristol and that means so much."
"For the rest of their lives, these guys can always bond with going to the Little League World Series together and it's from the small town they call home," Stone said. "They get to play great baseball and they all love the game and what they have done with their friends will never leave their minds."
Or their community's hearts.