Southington Baseball 10U All-Stars Claw Their Way Into State Finals

JAY PEKRUL PHOTOS

The Southington baseball 10U All-Star team was down to their final out, with no one on base and trailing by a run in the District 2 championship. One more out would have halted Southington’s summer season in its tracks. But just as they had done at many points throughout their multi-tournament run, the 10U All-Stars refused to go down without a fight.

It had taken a long but successful journey to get to this critical point. The players for the team were originally selected through a league vote. The same goes for the coaching staff. Head coach Jay Pekrul received the nomination and was handed the roster. He may have not picked the team, but Pekrul knew Southington was in for an unforgettable journey.

This was the first time members of North, South and West little league were all playing on the same team. Many of the members of this year’s squad had played together on the Southington Jays travel team. Even if they hadn’t, every 10U All-Star eagerly adjusted to their new teammates. Pekrul began the summer season with an inspiring message when he informed each member that they had made the team: “I’m so excited to go on this absolute crazy ride with you guys.”

“It felt like they had played together all their lives,” Pekrul said. “They meshed together unbelievably well, they fed off each other. They have awesome personalities. Winning culture is already in their blood. The chemistry is incredible to see. We have the most balanced one-through-twelve team in the state. And I’d go to bat with that comment.”

The players on this year’s Southington 10U All-Star team are: Chase Beaudoin, Cam Denorfia, Andrew Echard, Logan Giguere, Chase Michalak, Nash Pekrul, Owen Pugliese, Vincent Ralabate, Cameron Rubino, Owen Salvesen, Benjamin Sisson and Henry Villegas. Pekrul was joined by assistant coaches Matt Denorfia, Dan Ralabate, Eric Beaudoin and Rob Giguere.

Southington’s Last Stand Wins District 2 Crown

At the beginning of their run, five teams entered District 2 pool play, with the top four advancing to a single elimination tournament. Southington managed to go 4-0 before taking down Berlin in the semifinals. Pekrul said it didn’t take long for the coaching staff to learn exactly what this year’s All-Star team was made of.

“Our 12 hitter could easily be a lead-off hitter. With other teams we see, there may be a bit of a dropoff as you go down the lineup. That’s just not the case with this team,” Pekrul said. “There’s no easy out on this roster, and we learned that really quickly in pool play.”

At the same time, Pekrul knew that Southington had a target on their back by virtue of being undefeated. Once pool play was done, the 10U All-Stars understood they were back to a 0-0 record, and that a single loss would knock them out of the tournament.

Southington’s success led them to a matchup with Bristol in the finals. The team had previously come away victorious in their pool play matchup, earning a 4-3 walkoff victory. Since “the baseball Gods work in mysterious ways,” as Pekrul put it, Southington found themselves in a similar situation in the finals, which played out in a manner unlike anything Pekrul had experienced as a player or coach.

When Southington earned their first walkoff win, it was the bottom of the order that came through. This time around, the 10U All-Stars had been leading all game 2-1 until the top of the sixth inning. Southington had their opponents down to their last out, but after a pair of infield miscues, Bristol took a 3-2 lead.

The bottom of the lineup was up once again, and after a line out and pop out, the 12 hitter was at the plate. He was hit by a pitch, but did not go down and took his base. The leadoff man then earned an infield hit, putting the tying run at second base. The next hitter was Southington’s starting pitcher, who pitched five innings of one-run baseball. But he also made the two errors in the field to lose the lead.

In the batter’s box, however, those infield woes were forgotten. He squared up to the pitch and hit a walkoff triple, propelling Southington to a 4-3 victory and the District 2 championship.

Pekrul is grateful that parents in the stands were taking pictures and videos, because it was hard to avoid blacking out at that point. Southington had dealt with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. When the winning run crossed the plate, the head coach knew it was an accomplishment that this group of 10-year-olds will never forget.

“You guys made a memory today that you won’t forget for the rest of your lives,” Pekrul said. “You’ll be telling this story to your kids and even your grandkids. That’s a very special thing to tell a 10-year-old.”

Pekrul knew a win like this could propel Southington to even greater heights. It was a special moment for the 10U All-Stars and the way players rallied around each other would become even more crucial as the summer progressed.

Sectional Championship Runs Through Southington

Simsbury and Seymour joined Southington in the Sectional Tournament, with the winner advancing to States. The 10U All-Stars were beaming with excitement and ready to prove that they belonged.

“We escaped districts, we were kind of playing with house money going forward,” Pekrul said. “When you have an emotional win like we did to win districts, there’s less pressure on the kids. It instilled confidence.”

In their first matchup, Southington got out to an early lead against Seymour and didn’t look back. They racked up 10 hits and 11 runs in four innings, earning an 11-1 victory.

That offensive firepower didn’t stop in their second game against Simsbury, as the 10U All-Stars held a 6-1 lead after two innings. Their opponent was forced to pull their pitcher, and Southington, which put up 10 hits in four innings, won 12-2.

On the Tuesday before the championship game, the All-Star team was able to get in a practice. They focused on their brand of baseball, which highlights pitching, defense, timely hitting and aggressive base running, in that order. Pekrul and the coaching staff reiterated at the start and end of practice that if they stuck to the script, “the only team that can beat us is ourselves.”

Southington faced Seymour in a rematch for the championship, and after ending the top of the first inning with a double play, tacked on a run of their own to end the frame. The score remained 1-0 until the fourth inning when Seymour would tie the game on a triple.

The 10U All-Stars were playing tense, and the coaching staff reminded them that putting pressure on Seymour’s defense would be key. In the bottom of the fourth, they put that message into action and scored a pair of runs to take a 3-1 lead on a grounder to third.

But Seymour didn’t back down, putting runs on first and third with one runner out. Pekrul walked to the mound and set up a play where Southington focused on getting the runner out at second. The All-Stars executed it to perfection, and while a run scored, the catcher made a perfect throw to tag the runner out.

Southington’s starting pitcher had one batter left. After starting with a 3-1 count, he battled back to get a strikeout. The team’s closer then struck out the side in the sixth, helping the 10U All-Stars earn the Sectional Championship with a 3-2 victory.

“There’s a lot of momentum in this team. They’re beyond gritty and they just don’t have that losing mentality,” Pekrul said. “Another close game like this after we beat them by 10 runs shows a lot about Seymour – hats off to them. And to our team as well, the way they can get through the hard circumstances that come with high level, 10-year-old baseball. It was awesome.”

Having advanced to the State Tournament, Pekrul saw this year’s squad begin to mature. They understood that baseball is not an “I”-game, that Southington must instead succeed as a team. Whether the team was winning or losing, every member was up on the fence cheering each other on. It was that level of maturity that Pekrul believes helped lead 10U to States.

At the same time, Southington wanted to keep it fun. Their motto had been Crisp and Clean until a flub from assistant coach Matt Denorfia, who accidentally said, “Kwisp and Kwean.” This became the 10U All-Stars’ rallying cry, the phrase they broke the huddle with. The coaching staff did all they could, whether teaching the game or keeping spirits light. Southington had all the tools to succeed.

10U All-Stars Reach State Championship Finals 

Pekrul and company were excited to advance to the State Tournament. At the same time, they knew their success was no accident. Their first matchup against Stamford posed a difficult challenge, but Southington was ready for any competitor.

The All-Stars got out to an early lead and relied on their pitching throughout the matchup. Trailing 3-2 late in the game, Stamford hit a hard line drive down the first base line. Southington’s first baseman made a leaping grab, then tagged the runner for a double play. After earning a hard-fought one-run victory, the team realized that winning States was a realistic possibility.

The next day, they took on South Windsor, who hadn’t trailed in a game up to this point in States. Southington wanted to get an early lead and see how their opponents would react. The All-Stars manufactured a run on a sac fly and put their plan into place.

Southington’s strategy worked as intended and South Windsor was held scoreless in the bottom of the frame. The 10U All-Stars then tacked on two runs in the second and another three in the third to go up 6-0.

With their starting pitcher throwing five innings of three-hit baseball and their closer striking out the side in the sixth, Southington earned a 7-0 victory. Whoever they played next would have to beat them twice. Pekrul’s squad was prepared to face anyone.

Their opponent ended up being South Windsor. Things were different this time around, however. South Windsor threw their No.1 pitcher, and he performed like a No. 1, throwing a complete game shutout. Southington threw their ace as well, but fell 4-0.

In the bottom of the third, trailing 1-0, Pekrul saw a worrying change in his team. They were emotionally wrecked, crying in the dugout. It was unlike anything the coaching staff had seen from the squad over the summer. They grew concerned about the kind of attitude the team would have when they showed up the next day.

Those worries dissipated as soon as Southington arrived for batting practice. The 10U All-Stars were locked in and ready to win a State title.

“When we showed up for [batting practice] – I’ve never seen this team more pumped up to play,” Pekrul said. “The fire in them, the confidence, especially after getting beat pretty bad the night before. All the coaches were like, ‘We’re not losing this game.’ We really felt comfortable that this was going to be a good game.”

Southington 10U Finishes Top Two In Connecticut

As the away team, South Windsor got first at-bats. They made the most of that opportunity, getting out to a 5-0 lead. Pekrul started to get nervous that Southington would struggle mentally again. But that wasn’t the case. The All-Stars battled back, keeping South Windsor at bay. However, in the bottom of the second, when Southington had the bases loaded with no outs, they were unable to get a run across the plate.

The All-Stars finally scored a pair of runs in the third before South Windsor added another in the fourth. Southington continued to battle, scoring a trio of runs, including a pair on a two-out triple, to cut the lead to 6-5 after four innings. A bang-bang play would have put the leadoff hitter up with the tying run at second base had it not gone against Southington. Instead that same hitter hit a leadoff double to start the fifth. However, the team couldn’t drive him in.

Now trailing 7-5 in the bottom of the sixth, Southington once again had a chance to tie the game. But with runners on second and third and two outs, they hit a first-pitch pop up. Southington lost; the summer season was over.

“It was a surreal game. To be down 5-0 after the first inning and have them claw back… if we had tied the game. I think it would’ve been a different story,” Pekrul said. “They didn’t quit, they never did this season.”

While the coaches and parents were drained, Southington attended a birthday party for one of their friends on the 11U Team after the game. The loss might have stung, but everyone on the roster seemed to put it in the past and just enjoy being together. Perkul said it is hard to believe just how far Southington came, one hit away from Regionals. But he is confident the progress each player made on and off the diamond will carry on far beyond the summer.

“This has been an awesome learning experience for these kids and the coaches,” Pekrul said. “The emotions when the kids got down in little league or travel ball were tough. Still, it took them maybe an inning, maybe two to get their emotions back to positivity. I don’t know what happened with this team, but I never see strikeouts now where there’s a tear in their eye. It is incredible how much these kids have grown up and matured.”

Southington Ready For Redemption

After the State Championship was over, South Windsor’s head coach came over to the team and said, “Great game Southington, thanks for the competition.” The next time the 10U All-Star team competes, Pekrul is hoping they can offer a similar message to their opponents.

“We know we’ll see them again,” Pekrul said. “The way it all transpired gives us some fire to get back there. Hopefully we can then say the same thing back to them.”

The 10U All-Stars made tremendous strides throughout their summer campaign. But if they want to hoist the State Championship crown, Pekrul says, each player has to keep their head up and continue striving for greatness: “Understand that if you don’t want this feeling again, there has to be something you do that’s one percent better,” Pekrul said.

“Still, we try to focus on how proud we were of the kids. To come in second place out of those 78 teams is such a remarkable achievement. You guys are winners; just because you come in second out of 78 teams does not make you a loser.”

Pekrul felt confident that Southington practiced more than any other team in the state. Yet no All-Star complained, even as temperatures rose above 100. They were determined not only to grow individually, but for their teammates. Each All-Star bought in and played for each other, through all the ups and downs.

“It doesn’t matter where you bat in the lineup, it doesn’t matter how many innings you play in the field. It is so freaking hard to make this team. It’s great to see how humble these kids are, to see how they’ve matured, to see them understand that being a teammate and coachable is number one,” Pekrul said.

“They accept that, and they truly are best friends,” he concluded. “They love each other. They cared about going to pool parties right after the games and spending time being kids. If they can keep on doing that and not take this game too seriously, then we’ve done our job as coaches.”

The 2025 Southington 10U All-Star team will be remembered for their run to the State Tournament game. For each player, however, the first thing that will come to mind is the summer they became family.