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Local team adds newest chapter

Sentinel photo by BRADLEY KREITZER
Jay Swartz puts up the newest addition at Armagh Field, a sign honoring Mifflin County’s 2016 13-year-old national championship team.

Mifflin County has made 25 appearances in the Mid-Atlantic Regional (before 2018). Eleven of those teams have ended in the regional final four. Here is summary of the 11 final four teams:

¯ 1960: The first team to win a state title (13-15-year-old level). For years this is what Mifflin County all-star teams looked up to. The 1960 team was a regional runner-up and lost to eventual national champion Huntington, W.Va. The manager of the team was Bob Metz Sr.

It was single elimination and Mifflin County beat Delaware and Virginia before losing to West Virginia. Jim Allgyer was one of the teams’ top pitchers and Dennis Harmon was the team’s power hitter. He smashed a two-run homer against Virginia.

¯ 1973: Mifflin County picked up its first 13-year-old state title and moved on to the Mid-Atlantic. At that point in time there was no national tournament for 13-year-olds.

The team was managed by the Gary Ciecierski and finished in third place in the regional. Dean Reynolds opened the regional by tossing a no-hitter against the host team, Cape-Atlantic (Atlantic City). Some of the big hitters on the team were Dale Reynolds, Randy McLaughlin, Chuck Osborne, Brent Hartman, Shane Rook and Doug Wyland.

¯ 2002: There have been plenty of stories concerning the Mifflin County Babe Ruth League, but this might be THE story. As 13- and 14-year-olds this team never made it out of districts and then suddenly in the summer of 2002 everything fell into place.

The manager of the team was Scott Reigle. Mifflin County won the district and then the state tournament. It then moved on to the regional in New Milford, N.J. There, Mifflin County defied all odds by winning the regional title with four straight wins in extra innings.

Mifflin County had a strong pitching staff of Matt Wright, Nate Burkey and A.J. Yoder. Those three also did the hitting along with Teddy Stake, Nathan Powell, Brandon Mazzoni and Zach Rosenberry. But, the biggest hit of the tournament came from Andy King when he drove home the winning run to clinch Mifflin County’s first World Series berth.

The World Series was held in Connersville, Ind., and Mifflin County finished in a tie for fifth place.

¯ 2003: The Mifflin County 14-year-olds completed the sweep of Pennsylvania (winning all three state titles) that summer and then took off for Latham, N.Y. Here Mifflin County went 4-2 and lost in the if-neccessary game of the regional finals. The team was managed by Fred Zook.

Mifflin County won the first game of the finals as Chris Tressler tossed a two hitter and Matt Gregg had Mifflin County’s only hit, a double, and scored its only run. Mifflin County had a deep pitching staff of Ed Deans, Kyle Heane and Curtis Eversole. It was a tough loss to handle, but this team would be heard from again.

¯ 2004: After winning the state title in Milroy, the Mifflin County 13-year-olds headed to Yardaville, N.J., the home of Babe Ruth baseball. The team was managed by Bernie Howard. Howard guided Mifflin County to an opening game win over Metro-New York, 6-2. The only team to beat Mifflin County in the tournament was the host team, Hamilton, N.J.

Mifflin County got great pitching from Nate Saltzer and Brian Billett. The offense centered around Casey Zimmerman, Hunter Thomnpson, Ryan Keefer, Nick Eversole, Jesse Yoder, Brody Blessing, Saltzer and Billett. Key to the team were the two catchers, Eversole and Ryan Dailey.

¯ 2004: In 2004, the Mifflin County14-year-olds just missed going to the World Series. This time around as 15-year-olds they would not be denied. The Mid-Atlantic Regional was held in Milroy and the local fans turned out in big numbers. They weren’t disappointed. Mifflin County went 5-0 and won the regional final over Maryland, 15-6.

The key hitter in the championship game was Matt Gregg, who had five hits. Gregg had a lot of help on offense as he was aided by Chris Tressler, Jay Hartman, Matt Mazzoni, Dane Glick, Josh Yoder and Kevin Ryan.

Fred Zook, who coached the 14-year-olds in 2003, saw his pitchers come up big. The team advanced to the Babe Ruth World Series in Longview, Wash., went 2-2 and finished in a tie for seventh place.

¯ 2005: After just missing the World Series in 2004 as 13-year-olds, Howard again had this team primed for a big run. Again, the team won the state title and advanced to the regional final four, but finished in a tie for third place.

The regionals were played in Brunswick, Md. Due to problems getting a field, the tournament was played on a private school’s ball field. Needless to say it was more like a sand box than ball field.

Mifflin County just missed winning the opening game losing to Southern New Jersey, 5-4. Mifflin County then ran off three straight wins before losing to Metro New York, 7-6, in the semifinals.

Howard had most of the same players back as he had in 2004 as 13-year-olds. Blessing was the key man at the top of the order and Zimmerman again provided the power. Dailey and Eversole were great behind the plate on defense. Saltzer, Keefer and Billett did most of the pitching.

Billett made a brilliant play on defense in the third game of the regional as he went up against the dugout on the third base side to grab a foul ball.

¯ 2008: The Mifflin County 15-year-olds had to travel to North Syracuse, N.Y., for the Mid-Atlantic. In the opening game, A.J. Scheffel tossed a 9-0 no-hitter against Western New York. Mifflin County then ran off two more wins as Cody Heane had a shutout against Maryland, 2-0, and Mifflin County beat Delaware, 15-5.

The team was managed by Scott Reigle. Some of the big hitters on the team were Joseph McElwain, Nate Walters, Cameron Rhoades, Ben Wilt, Matt Eddy, Kirby Moist and Heane.

Mifflin County fell in back to back games to end the tournament losing to Eastern New York, 5-1, and Southern New Jersey, 6-2. Mifflin County finished in a tie for third place.

¯ 2009: This is the one that got away.

Mifflin County had won 14 games in a row (a Mifflin County record) and had an 11-4 lead with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning against Eastern New York. It didn’t end that way.

Eastern New York won with a walk off grand slam, 13-11. The winning team headed west to Longview, Wash.

The manager of the team was Butch Bender. Mifflin County won the state title at home in eight innings versus Broomall-Newtown. Then it was off to Saugerties, N.Y.

Mifflin County was powered on offense by Mitch Welham, Hunter Walker, Alex Hughes, Brendon Fultz, Levi North and Chris Wilson.

Also playing a part in the winning streak were Cole Welham, Ted Wilson. Josh Roesfsky and Tanner Kibe.

Walker was the ace pitcher and Travis Fisher was the main man out of the bullpen.

¯ 2016: The 2002 Mifflin County team might have been the story, but the biggest of all was the 2016 13-year-old team.

The 13-year-olds not only won the Mid-Atlantic — it went beyond all dreams and won the national title in Ottumwa, Iowa.

It was a team for the ages (well at least at the 13-year-old level). Mifflin County only lost one game as its manager Scott Reigle smiled the whole way home from Iowa to Pennsylvania.

Mifflin County’s only defeat came in the World Series against North Dakota. It won the national title with a 5-3 win over Hawaii.

Before Iowa was the Mid-Atlantic regional in Queensbury, N.Y. In the first game of the regional Mifflin County had to go extra innings against Eastern New York to pull out a 6-1 game.

Then Mifflin County ran off wins against Western New York, 12-0; Southern New Jersey, 11-1, and Northern New Jersey, 12-6.

In the finals, Mifflin County met the host team, Queensbury, which was ahead 4-0 before Mifflin County battled back to win the game. Cole Schlegel, Brycen Hassinger and Brian Yetter had RBIs to cut the lead to 4-3. With two outs in the seventh, Connor Cherry tied the game with an RBI single.

Then in the eighth, Colby Bodtorf singled and moved to second on an error. Yetter was walked intentionally and Hassinger moved Bodtorf to third on a ground ball. Bodtorf then raced home on a wild pitch and Mifflin County was off to Iowa and into the history books.

¯ 2017: Bub Parker got his first taste of being a Mifflin CountyAll-Star manager and he didn’t know what a losing game was until the regional finals in Niskayuna, N.Y. Mifflin County ran off 11 wins in a row.

In the regionals Mifflin County beat Northern New Jersey, 14-4; the host team, 12-5; Maryland, 18-5; and edged Western New York twice, 9-3 and 6-4 in the semifinals.

Mifflin County pitching staff was lead by Shane Dippery, Evan Smith, Camden Shawver and Michael Anderson.

In Mifflin County’s first win over Western New York, Anderson and Cade Crossgrove combined for the win on the mound. In the second win over Western New York, Jacob Krepps hit a clutch home run.

The Mifflin County offense was keyed by Krepps, Seth Benson, Noah Wright, Jace Shoemaker, Hudson First, Smith and Shawver.

In the regional, Wright was outstanding at shortstop, while Shoemaker’s bat was as hot as the summer sun. And Smith not only fielded well, but he pitched and hit as well.

It all came down to the last game and Mifflin County trailed early, but came back against Southern New Jersey and fell by a run in the bottom of the seventh, 5-4.

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