5 minute read
Welcome - See
Continued From Page 1 from the building’s speakers. Several speeches honoring the team were delivered. Toms River Councilwoman Maria Maruca led off. “The boys worked hard as a team,” she said. “Each time I watched the games on ESPN, New Jersey (East) had the most fans and the loudest fans. We thank you for giving us an awesome summer.” Toms River Township Mayor Mo Hill said, “You all truly got to live every Little Leaguer’s dream. You did us proud.” East won District 18, sectional and New Jersey titles. It finished second in the Little League Baseball Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament in Bristol, Conn., qualifying for the LLBWS. The team wound up with a 19-4 overall record. The club rallied for several victories throughout the summer. “I do have to say you are the Cardiac Kids,” Hill said. “You gave us all a heart attack. Baseball is one sport where you have to have situational awareness for every player.” Hill said a banner honoring the team will be flown over town hall. Then, it will be presented to the league for its use. He added that the team will be honored with a proclamation from the council. Hill said he received a team hat that he opened when East pitcher-shortstop Joey DiMeo boomed a grand slam over the center field fence to supply the go-ahead runs in a LLBWS win. “I opened the box containing the hat and Joey hit his homer on the next pitch,” Hill said. East manager Paul Mika, the league’s president and the father of team member Max Mika, followed with a speech. “Let me tell you,” he said. “We have the best District in the State of New Jersey. Each year, we get together at state meetings and say, ‘Who will come out of District 18? Brick? Toms River? Holbrook (of Jackson Township)?’ “ Mika said he enjoyed managing the team. “I had an awesome time with these boys and their parents,” he said before presenting state championship rings to the team while its fans again roared their approval. “The Word Series did not end where we wanted it to end. It was a busy, tough summer. The team was tested for COVID-19 every other day. There was no Wi-Fi, no T.V. in Bristol. It was so difficult. We ran out of steam at the end. I truly believed we could have finished in the top four teams. The boys gave us everything they had. They did not quit. We got home Wednesday. “This is one community. Myself and the team thank you from the bottom of my heart. I thank our board members for the incredible work that they did.” DiMeo shared his thoughts after the ceremony. “It felt great,” he said. “The whole team helped me go through this. I had a lot of fun with my friends. That helped me a lot during our games when I was down. We played our hearts out and never gave up. We always played our best. It never felt like we were playing on ESPN or ABC. It felt normal. We were very crazy and energetic. We were always bouncing off the walls.” The team was locked down by tournament officials in Bristol and Williamsport. “It was very hard,” DiMeo said. “It was really stressful being in the dorm.” Paddy Matera, an East coach and the grandfather of team member Jalen McLean, spoke prior to the event and said the lockdowns harmed the team. “I am a perfectionist,” he said. “We have the best team in the nation and Little League did us an injustice by locking us down in dorms. It took a toll on the boys. They are 12-year-old boys. They were not allowed to be with their parents. There was no physical contact with them. These are 12-year-old boys. They could see their parents through the gate and at game time. They went 17 days without physical contact with mom and dad. It’s not normal. On a scale of one to 10, It hurt the team to a 10.” Matera said there were 4,500 Little League teams in the United States this year. Only 16 qualified for the LLBWS, which utilized a modified double-elimination format. Foreign teams were banned because of COVID-19. “You play competition knowing there are teams you can beat,” he said. “It’s frustrating knowing you have the best team in the nation and it fell short.” Matera said East had lots of team spirit. “Our kids had a great core,” he said. “From our starters to our bench players, they all got along. We practiced since January to achieve our goal. When you are there, you want to win it all and unfortunately we fell short.” Matera said he was impressed with Mika’s managing. “Paul is an unbelievable manager as he is so in tune with the kids,” he said. “Paul is the dad. I am the coach. I teach the kids how to play the correct way. If you practice and play hard, anyone can make it to Williamsport as long as they stick together as a team.” The team’s nickname was the Jersey Boys. Fans wore Jersey Boys T-shirts during the summer. Fans saluted their idols with balloons. Marissa Verderrosa, the mother of East catcher Jason Verderrosa, displayed a likeness of her son Thursday night. “He’s my favorite player,” she said. “I was the team’s head cheerleader (she was often pictured supporting her idols on ESPN and ABC). This experience was an indescribable feeling. It was probably the most overwhelming feeling I have ever felt. They have played together for a minimum of four years and some have played together since they were in T-ball. This all-star team is also their traveling team so they are all very close.” Verderrosa’s father, Jason, attended Thursday night’s event. “The boys just played hard,” he said. “The team had a lot of depth, a lot of hitting. They had good pitchers and the bats were going up through the states. Defense was probably the key. This is the best thing that ever happened to me. When they were down, they pulled through one way or another.” Jason Verderrosa hit a key home run in a District 18 game. “It was his first swing in the game,” his dad said. “He hit it on the second pitch and it set the tone. We beat Holbrook under the Mercy Rule.” Jay Mutter, an uncle of Jason Verderrosa, said he was impressed with the team’s play. “Defense was the number one key to the team’s success,” he said. “The boys were very focused on team play. I am 60 years old. The win at
