Little League baseball: Avon Minor All-Stars want to have fun ... and get some wins ... at state

AVON — Playing in the state tournament is becoming a rite of passage for Avon's Little League baseball players. After seeing Avon's 11-year-old all-star team make the trip to New Albany last year, the little brothers of the program decided to join in the fun. In June, the Avon Minor All-Stars (ages 8-10) won the District 7 tournament, and today they get to enjoy the fruits of their labor when they open state tournament play against Jefferson, the District 1 champions, at 2:30 p.m. at Old Timers Field in Upper Arlington. At the end of the regular season, over two dozen players were nominated by their coaches for consideration for the all-star team. Coaches Michael Burcewicz, Bill Fecht and Ryan Perniciaro had the task of narrowing that group down to the 12 who made the trip to New Albany. "We have a great group in Little League at this age group so it was tough, but these are the 12 we are rolling with," Burcewicz said. "We got this group of kids together in a matter of weeks and started playing against the best teams in our district. I knew we had a chance to beat any of those teams but I think they exceeded our expectations." Avon rolled through the District 7 tournament, going 4-0 and outscoring its opponents 48-7, including a 9-2 win over Bellevue in the championship game. "It's exciting to have the chance to play in the state tournament," outfielder Will Fecht said. "We saw the team last year go to state and it feels good to do that." "The coaches helped a lot. We didn't know many of the kids because we all played on different teams all season. They introduced us and made us a team. After the third or fourth practice I realized how good we could be." Catcher Keegan Shaughnessy is the youngest player on the roster. However, the 8-year-old is already showing leadership qualities of someone much older. "I practiced a lot with my brother and my dad and they got me good enough to play with these older kids," Shaughnessy said. "In the regular season we watch each othe play so when we come together we know what each person does well. That's really how we came together." Roster construction is important when putting together an all-star team. Avon may need to play as many as six games in a seven-day period if it hopes to win the state title. Burcewicz said they have seven or eight players who are ready to step in and pitch when called upon. Instead of just focusing on the physical aspects of the game, Burcewicz and his coaches have also tried to prepare the team for the rigors of high-level baseball. "We talk a lot about the mental side of baseball," Burcewicz said. "These are 9- and 10-year-old kids and that can be a struggle for professionals sometimes. We hammer on the mental side of baseball. I don't think these kids really realize how tough this game is yet and they're just having fun." And, of course, when you're 9 or 10, that's what baseball is really all about. "The best thing about being on this team is being here with my teammates, having fun," second baseman Donovan Burcewicz said. That doesn't mean the players aren't focused on bringing a state championship back to Avon. "I'm very excited but I'm also very nervous," Donovan Burcewicz said. "I know we'll play harder teams and better teams. We made it this far and we don't want to lose." There is no Little League World Series at this age class, so this is the end of the line for this group of all-stars. "My kid is 9 and I've been coaching baseball and football and basketball since he was 4 of 5," Michael Burcewicz said. "And this is the most fun and exciting time I've ever had coaching. This is just an amazing group of kids and an amazing group of coaches. We don't want this to end." Avon Little League Minors All-Star Roster: Bennett Banak, Donovan Burcewicz, Harrison Damastra, David Dorries, Will Fecht, Owen Honald, Jack Horwatt, Brody Mihalic, Josh Myers, Jacob Perkins, Julian Perniciaro and Keegan Shaughnessy Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.