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East Side Little League has achieved big success this decade, but something was still missing entering this summer.
The 2026 team filled that void in a huge way. And just kept going from there, cementing itself permanently among both league and West Chester, Pennsylvania lore.
East Side captured the league's first major baseball state championship earlier this month. The ride kept gathering momentum from there and carried East Side to the Mid-Atlantic championship and a Little League World Series appearance.
The future appears bright for the West Chester league, but this East Side team always will be the trail blazers; the ones who showed the world all that makes its league a strong one.
"It's an amazing feeling to be the first ones to do it. It's a great league and it's really taken off the last few years, and any time you do something for the first time, it means a lot," East Side manager Bob Hennessey said. "I don't think the kids were too aware of it. I think they just love to play the game and kind of live in the moment and take the challenges they become."
Together, those players and coaches have helped create moments East Side will never forget. That includes winning more games entering the Series than any American team.
"I think this team has just energized the league, both going to states and getting that championship and then reaching the Series and showing everyone that anything is possible," East Side Little League president and coach Matt DiGiulio said. "They've kind of paved a path for all the teams."
The Mid-Atlantic champions broke down a wall which stood since the league was formed, but several other league teams softened it. East Side's Juniors have won consecutive state championship and both the 11 and 10U teams also earned state titles this season.
Numbers have steadily increased and East Side has entered a golden era. The Series is a culmination of all that growth.
"We went from winning no district titles in my day to, looking at the last six years, winning three district champions a year. It's definitely growing among the community," DiGiulio said. "Even during our state championship run we were getting messages from the younger kids saying we can do this, too. It shows you that if you put in hard work and effort, that anything can happen. It's a launching pad going forward."
West Chester long has featured a strong baseball tradition and many who created that are now affiliated with the league. That includes West Chester University baseball coach Mike LaRosa who just led his team to the Division II National Championship where it finished as runner-up. Now, the past and present are coming together and the future looks mighty bright.
Still, those future teams likely will look back at what the 2026 East Side all-stars achieved for motivation. More important, they will understand how they achieved history.
Because, nothing came easy. It was how East Side embraced the hard which stands out.
East Side entered the Series, 16-1 but was pushed to the brink at states by Blue Mountain. There, East Side suffered its first loss with Blue Mountain winning, 6-4. It could have shaken the team, but it only further fueled its collective fire.
East Side had to play five games in six days, many featuring scorching heat, but it never buckled. A thrilling 5-4 win against West Point sent East Side upward and it earned a championship rematch against Blue Mountain following a 9-3 win against 2022 Mid-Atlantic champion Hollidaysburg and 10-0 victory against nearby Newton-Edgmont.
"It certainly made things harder but we remained confident because we know how deep the team is and how tough these kids are. They don't let anything faze them," Hennessey said. "They just keep fighting and they didn't get down. We knew it was going to be hard, but they stuck together and rallied around each other and went on a tear."
That continued against Blue Mountain as East Side cruised to an 8-2 win. Because it was double-elimination, however, East Side had to repeat that task a day later. When it built a 7-0 lead, it appeared East Side would do so in emphatic fashion.
Blue Mountain had other ideas and scored eight fourth inning runs while taking a one-run lead. Again, East Side could have folded. Again, it pulled closer together and thundered back. It tied the game an inning later before Jack Cassidy launched one of the biggest hits in league history, walloping a go-ahead grand slam as East Side made history with its 12-8 victory.
"They knew what they wanted. They put their minds to it and, watching this group over the last five years at other tournaments, they always find a way to win," DiGiulio said. "It's a really resilient group. Even when we dropped that game, we knew it was going to be harder, but we were still confident because we knew we were as deep as any team."
Nobody wants to lose, but if it's not the loss which defines a team. It's the response and, unless it's the final game, so much can often be learned from those defeats. That is how East Side approached that Blue Mountain loss.
Ultimately, it may have been the best thing which happened. East Side adjusted its lineup after that. Just as important, every player accepted those changes without complaint. History beckoned and East Side moved full speed ahead.
"It's something that made us better. I think the kids didn't want to experience that again," Hennessey said. "It kind of let a fire under them and they just took off from there, and I think it was a springboard that carried into regionals and we played really well there."
That state championship win and all that followed created a full-circle moment. East Side's growth really started gaining momentum in 2023 when its 12U team, including Ti DiGiulio, reached the state final. Media denied that team history, winning the title before reaching the Series.
In the midst of some sadness, Dillon DiGiulio provided a promise. He told Ti that he and teammates would get to the Series three years later for him and that 2023 team.
Words became actions and now East Side has made a statement heard around the world. From humble beginnings, East Side has reached the big time.
"Obviously, Ti was upset, Dillon him he would get him there," DiGiulio said. "To see this team make it happen and achieve this makes it really special and rewarding."