BANGOR, Maine — Two years ago, Bangor East won the state Little League baseball championship for 9- and 10-year-olds but then had nowhere else to play — there are no regional tourneys for that young age group.
Two years later, the same Bangor East team doesn’t have to be satisfied with a mere state championship, as the team leaves early Thursday for the New England regional championships at Bristol, Conn.
And success in that weeklong event, which runs Aug. 7-15, could make a collective dream come true — a berth in the Little League World Series at Williamsport, Pa.
“My goal for the week is to win some games, get on NESN and go to the Little League World Series,” said Bangor East pitcher-shortstop Justin Courtney. “It’s been my dream since I started Little League.”
The regional semifinals will be televised on the New England Sports Network, with the final to air on ESPN at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15.
But before Bangor East can face the bright lights of television, first they must advance through an arduous schedule of four games of pool play in five days beginning at 2 p.m. Friday against Lincoln, R.I.
Bangor East then plays Peabody, Mass., at 11 a.m. Saturday and Glastonbury, Conn., at 8 p.m. Sunday before completing pool play against Brattleboro, Vt., at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Monday is the team’s off day.
After winning the first state title in the program’s history and the city’s first state Little League baseball crown for 11- and 12-year-olds since Bangor West won in 1994, the Bangor East squad has fairly ambitious aspirations.
“We know that making it to Williamsport is a high goal, but it’s there for us,” said Paul Huston, who manages the team with help from coaches Todd Hillier and Scott Morrill. “We want to get to the NESN games and then see what happens.”
It’s ambition based on three years of success.
As 9- and 10-year-olds in 2007, these players raced undefeated to the state championship.
This year the path wasn’t as easy. Bangor East was unbeaten in District 3 play, but twice fought off challenges against Hampden, rallying from a 5-0 deficit in their first meeting and then winning 4-3 in the title game on a bases-loaded single by Sam Huston in the bottom of the sixth .
The team then lost its first game of the state tourney, 2-1 to Kennebunk-Kennebunkport in nine innings, before rebounding to win five straight games to claim the state crown.
That run included a 3-1 victory over Elliot Avenue of Lewiston, a 7-5 victory over Kennebunk-Kennebunkport and then back-to-back 13-2 and 4-3 victories over South Portland National in the championship round.
“We’ve had several really tough, hard-fought games,” said Huston, “and I think it’s going to help us because we’re probably going to have more of those kinds of games in the regional.”
Bangor East is led by Courtney, a fifth-year Little League all-star. The righthander is one of three Bangor East pitchers with a 3-0 tournament record, and he has eight home runs in 11 tourney games.
“Justin’s physically gifted, and he hits the ball with power,” said Huston. “He also has a ton of poise, the kids really follow his lead.”
Courtney holds down the third spot in the batting order, flanked by pitcher-infielder Andrew Hillier and infielder Liam Harrigan.
But coaches and players alike agree another strength of the team is its depth.
Hillier and Alex Welch join Courtney as the primary starting pitchers.
“Justin is probably the most polished of the three based on experience, and he changes speeds well,” said Huston. “Hillier is a Greg Maddux-type, he’s very smart with good location, and he’s very economical with his pitches.
“Alex is a pure fireballer, the hardest thrower we have.”
Other key contributors are Harrigan, catcher-outfielder Ryan Brookings, second baseman Benjamin Crichton, outfielder James Deane, outfielder-first baseman Matthew Duff, catcher-outfielder Sam Huston, outfielder Marcus McCue, twin pitcher-infielders Nicholas and Ryan Moore and first baseman Jake Morrill.
“We have a whole bunch of good pitchers, our hitting is good and we’ve been fielding better,” said Duff, “We’ve been mixing it all together.”
And armed with the momentum of already winning five must-win games just to reach the New England regional, the Bangor East players believe they are now playing their best baseball of the summer.
“I know everyone’s really excited,” said Brookings.
