Sarasota American 10U All-Stars head to state tournament

The 8-9-10 year-old Sarasota American Little League All-Stars are kids, but they take baseball seriously. 

That mindset can be challenging for kids who are still in elementary school, but it’s also helped them advance to the state tournament in Freeport starting July 11. 

“We’re firm, but understanding,” coach Mike D’Hondt said. “Out here (at practice), this is the place to make mistakes. Our biggest thing at this age is that you’re hustling all the time, whether it’s in practice or in games. We don’t like to see them walking out on the field or back to the dugout. If they’re getting a drink of water, I say, ‘No butts on the bench during practice days.’

“That’s really where it starts,” D’Hondt continued. “You know you’re out here and you’re working hard and putting the time in. We don’t get them on mistakes. They’re going to make mistakes because they’re 9 and 10 years old. We don’t scream at them because that doesn’t work at any age. We just encourage them.”

That mentality of firm encouragement the coaching staff has emphasized is a need on American’s run to the district and sectional championships.

Sarasota American could have folded against Golden Gate American in LaBelle in its sectional finals and had its season end, but instead played some of its best baseball. 

Stone Meininghaus hit a home run in the first inning to give Sarasota American a 3-0 lead, but Golden Gate scored six unanswered runs to take over the game. 

Sarasota American made sure that lead wouldn’t last.

Grayson Hugo hit a two-run home run to cut into the lead, and then Jax Roberts opened the fifth inning with a leadoff double and driven in by Leo Izzo's hit with two outs to knot the game at 6-6. 

Photo by Vinnie Portell

Then Henry D’Hondt had to face one of the most difficult spots for any pitcher in baseball in the home half of the fifth inning — no outs with the bases loaded late in a tied game.

“I was really nervous because it was the fifth inning, but I thought it was the sixth,” Henry said. “It was a 3-0 count with the bases loaded, and I don’t know how I did it. I was thinking, ‘If I don’t strike them out, this will be the second year in a row we lost to a team we should have beaten in sectionals.’”

Henry responded by striking out the side, and Sarasota American piled on three more runs in the top of the sixth inning to gain a 9-6 win and a sectional championship. 

Sarasota American is a team made up of mainly 10-year-old players who have experience. 

Several of these players compete on travel ball teams and played this past Little League season in the ‘Majors’ division, which features 12-year-olds who throw around 65 miles per hour, D’Holdt said. 

While that experience has certainly been valuable, Sarasota American’s best attribute has been how much the players trust each other.

Photo by Vinnie Portell

Hard moments, like the 10U All-Star team's sectional loss last season, forged some of that trust. Other times there are strengthening moments like celebrating a win with a pool party or a trip to a restaurant. 

“We have trust in each other,” Sarasota American player Jack McQuillan said. “I’ve been friends with some of these guys for a long time. If somebody calls you off in the outfield or in the infield, you know they’ll get it.”

The season is going to end at the state tournament for Sarasota American no matter what happens in the round-robin format. Little League All-Stars for the 8-9-10 and 9-10-11 levels culminate at the state level, while the 10-11-12 year-old teams have the chance to make it to the Little League World Series.

That means the clutch wins, pool parties, barbecues and fun practices won’t last much longer for Sarasota American, but there’s still some motivation to keep the season going as long as it can. 

“The prize is also kinda good,” McQuillan said. “You get rings.”