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Young guns take the spotlight

By CHRIS WAGENHEIM
Published June 5, 2007

In Little League, everyone plays, but not everyone plays a lot. So in major baseball games for 10- to 12-year-olds, the younger kids typically get their at-bats, then ride the bench.

For three 10-year-old West Pasco Little leaguers, however, the bench is a stranger.

West Pasco White Sox captains Harrison Keslar, Blaize Grabowski and Tyler Hawks not only excelled among older teammates, they were a rallying point for older teammates. With a combined batting average above .400, a 14-4 record on the mound and six errors, these athletes defied all odds.

"In Little League 12-year-olds are usually the star players, " White Sox coach Dave Grabowski said. "That's when a boy can walk through the league and all the little kids want his autograph. We passed that with 10-year-olds."

Last season's White Sox went 0-18 before Coach Grabowski and his younger players came in and turned the team around to become 14-4 and league champs. He said the older kids had a tough time following the younger kids' lead, but when they saw what they could do, their attitudes changed.

"They actually listened to us; it felt pretty good, " Grabowski said.

Coach Grabowski took a minor baseball team through a 19-0 season in 2006 before being promoted to the major White Sox. Some of his players were on that team and this year's feat is being noticed by representatives in Williamsport, Pa., home of the Little League World Series.

"I am dealing with Williamsport right now, " Coach Grabowski said. "They are going to interview me and then the commissioner of the league."

Grabowski, 6-0 on the mound, also was imposing at the plate. He had a .482 batting average, best on the team, with four doubles and a home run.

"Those two guys right there (Keslar and Hawks) are really good; I can't really say anything about myself because that would be bragging, " Grabowski said.

Hawks was the other pitcher and went 8-4 while centerfielder Keslar was another at-the-plate threat; he had a .419 average with four doubles and two triples.

While getting ready for the all-star selection at the end of the month, the trio joked and laughed, and when asked about the possibility of losing, Grabowski summed it up nicely.

"I will be pretty upset, but I will still be pretty proud that I haven't lost a game in so long, " he said.

[Last modified June 5, 2007, 00:51:24]