Lake Mary LL players have become brothers in short time
The Lake Mary Little League all-stars did not come together until June. But in two months, they essentially have become brothers.
Most competed against each other during the league’s regular season before the league’s Board of Directors selected this year’s team. From there, a bond started forming and it has become all but unbreakable. Considering what Lake Mary, Florida has done this summer, that bond likely will link these players and coaches wherever they go and whatever they do.
Lake Mary is competing at the Little League World Series for the time time, capturing state and Southeast Region championships in emphatic fashion before starting well in South Williamsport and winning its first two games. Along the way, all 12 players have made an impact but they also have grown closer and that has made this historic run even more memorable.
“They have such a caring friendship. That’s what defines us differently as a league. That’s what makes this team different. The level of friendship that they have is amazing,” Lake Mary vice president Desiree Fouse said. “The older kids built such a confidence and relationship that they look up to each other and they refine their skills together. It’s how they support each other, too. The level of encouragement they show each other has been the secret sauce to the progression.”
Stir in some relentless work, immense talent and super coaching and one has the Southeast’s best Little League Baseball team. The thing is, so many teams in Florida and throughout the Southeast share those similar qualities. To navigate that field, a group must play and believe as one.
Lake Mary has done that at each practice and every game. Driving that home, the coaches do just about everything the players do. They joined them in one-mile runs following practices and participated in all the boot camp activities Lake Mary resident and form Army Sergeant Leroy Minion held during the break between states and regionals.
Off the field, it remains a similar story. Find one Lake Mary player and you likely will find all of them, socializing and/or playing other games together. The coaches are right there as well, helping the players when the games end and preparing them for life as much as for baseball.
“The best part for me is getting in the trenches with these guys and working with them. We try to make it that we’re not just your coach, but we’re here with you,” Lake Mary manager and league president Jonathan Anderson said. “We’re together. We’re a family. If we end practice with a run and I’m with you, then we are one.”
That closeness pays huge dividends when the competition is so stiff and every pitch means so much. There is a trust and belief shared throughout the team which keeps the team optimistic no matter the opponent; no matter the situation.
That really shined through in one of Lake Mary’s most challenging games this summer against Boca Raton, Florida. Both were undefeated in pool play and only the winner would advance to the state final. Against a team which also had the potential to be playing in South Williamsport, Lake Mary weathered the storms, stayed positive, supported each other and rallied for a thrilling 6-2 in eight innings.
“Having that chemistry is important,” Anderson said. “That’s something we’ve felt like we had at the beginning. These kids play against each other during the regular season but we feel like we’re deep enough as a league to get better there and then come together when the board selects the team and that chemistry has been there from the start.”
That Boca Raton game served as a springboard and a team which reached last year’s Southeast final would not be denied this time, beating 2012 U.S. Champion and 2016 runner-up Goodlettsville, Tennessee, 11-0 to reach the Series. Combining its regional run with an 8-1 state championship victory, Lake Mary outscored its next five opponents, 43-9 following that grueling battle against Boca Raton.
Through the fire, a tight-knit team pulled ever closer.
“They had to learn in the moment that you have to calm yourselves in the eye of the storm. The world had to quiet down for them and when it got tough that’s when they learned they have to focus and refocus if something goes wrong,” Fouse said. “That was the ability they showed. We watched them reset when something went off or someone made an error. They refocus. They believe in each other and they have grown up so much.”
And as those players have grown up, they have pulled Lake Mary even tighter. This already was a league which long has been community and family friendly. The only difference now is that more people are learning about it.
Really, these Little League all-stars becoming one of the world’s best 20 teams is a reflection on its entire league and town. Even before the run started, teams throughout the league received ample support. Now it is coming from all over Florida and a bright light is being shined upon a family which has stayed close whether a team was in the hunt for a Little League World Series berth or not.
So, while Lake Mary has won all these games and championships, players and coaches also have become perfect league ambassadors.
“On behalf of the City of Lake Mary, it’s my privilege to recognize the players and coaches of the Lake Mary Little League for their dedication and hard work resulting in this tremendous accomplishment,” Lake Mary mayor David Mealor said. “Also, an enormous thank you to all our parents and family members for their tireless support and encouragement.”
“There’s a great level of community here. The league creates a camaraderie where the kids develop lifelong relationships,” Fouse said. “It’s the team, but there are friendships and family and that’s why everyone is so ecstatic about what they’re doing.”
Lake Mary’s impact will continue being felt when the team returns home. Whether it comes back with another title batter does no matter in their fans’ eyes. This family has put Lake Mary on the map and this band of brothers always will feature quite a connection.
“When you have a strong support system the outcome will always be positive. It’s important for them to know that,” Fouse said. “When you work hard at something with the support and a family approach, whatever the outcome is, it’s the ideal one or not, it’s still an amazing outcome because of what they put into it.”