MIDDLEBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - The Middleboro Little League team received a warm welcome home from their hard-fought championship run in Pennsylvania with fans even asking for their autographs.
The experience was “surreal, amazing, dreamlike,” said coach Joe Trottier. “I don’t have enough adjectives to describe how we felt as coaches and as players that we were heading to Williamsport to play against the top 20 teams in the world.”
Although they didn’t win the title, the team said their trip to the Little League World Series was the experience of a lifetime.
“I feel incredible,” said player Mike Marzelli. “I don’t know if any of us expected to come this far, most of us have been playing together since we were eight years old.”
Playing the sport they love at such a high level brought out the team’s competitive edge.
“We kept fighting, we lost both games but we didn’t give up,” said player Luke Bolduc, “we kept going until the last pitch.”
The players said, besides baseball, their trip was about friendship, sportsmanship and making memories, including their visit from the Red Sox.
“My favorite player is Xander Bogaerts,” said Marzelli, “I got a picture with him and then he signed my ball.”
Players also shared the first thing they plan on doing after enjoying the celebration.
“As soon as I get home I’m gonna take a shower and go to bed,” Bolduc said.
“I wanna go home and sleep in my bed,” said Marzelli.
Middleboro became the first team from Massachusetts to go to the Little League World Series since Peabody Western clinched a spot back in 2009.
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