Aptos Little League completed a rare sweep of all three District 39 tournaments as each division won their respective brackets this summer.
How unusual is this?
Manager Troy Cope high-fives Dominik Castillo as he rounds 3rd after his home run at Harvey West during the 12-year-old All Star tournament.
The head of District administration, Gene Carlisle, stated that he doesn’t remember a year when a single Little League from District 39, which encompasses the Santa Cruz County area, went on to win all three age brackets for 10-, 11- & 12-year-old All Stars.
“I don’t remember ever having a single league accomplish a sweep like this in All Stars. It is remarkable what these boys did,” said Gene Carlisle, District 39 head administrator.
Adding even more meaning to the accomplishment, Aptos Little League completed the sweep of All Stars on the 20th anniversary of the 2002 Aptos Little League All Star Team that went all the way to the Little League World Series.
Talk about a tip of the cap to a team that was honored as the grand marshals for the 4th of July parade this year, complete with a reunion of former players and coaches.
“The baseball community here in Aptos remains strong, and the generations of players, coaches and families that were here to support past, present and future players during the tournaments and the 4th of July parade was extremely heartwarming to witness and be a part of,” said John Paul Bergh, president, Aptos Little League.
Aptos 2002 World Series team reunion at Aptos Junior High.
First to win out: The 10-year-old Aptos All Star team led the way with a rousing, undefeated run through District play. The team was led by Manager Garret LaTorre, who was quoted as saying, “Our boys kept pitching, hitting, and came back no matter what the odds were. Kiran Yager, Mitch Anderson, Hunter LaTorre, Miles Lee and Ryan Santillan all pitched well, along with great hitting and run support from the entire team”
The second to win out was the 12-year-old Aptos All Star team. They finished their bracket to clinch the District title behind phenomenal pitching by Dominik Castillo, Colton Hand & Clayton Cope. Behind the plate for Aptos’ 12s was Parker French, catching nearly every pitch in the tournament. “The boys came in, no expectations, no stress, just playing baseball, having fun. As the tournament progressed, they started to believe in themselves more and succeeded, as a team, and I could not be prouder of this group and what they did on the baseball field,” said Manager Troy Cope.
20-year Aptos All Star commemoration flag flies high during the 2022 District tournament.
The third and final District title came for the returning 2021 District Champions, the 11-year-old Aptos All Star team. Behind great pitching by Colin Cormier and Brady Christensen, plus solid, timely hitting by Phoenix Meisser, James Reilly and Blake Weston and some great defense from Shane Melenudo, the 11-year-old team powered their way through the District Championship to complete the sweep.
The 11s went on to win the Section 5 Title and compete for State.
“We lost our 2nd game and after that we kept our heads up and finished strong. Everyone on the team contributed,” said Aptos Manager Aaron Meisser.
•••
Top Photo: All 3 Championship Aptos All Star teams pose for a historic photo after winning all 3 All Star tournaments in District 39.