Upper Makefield closes book on historic season
On July 19, Upper Makefield's resplendent George's Field played host to the Cal Ripken State Championships.
By James D’ArcangeloFor BucksLocalSports.com
The 2009 season has been a landmark, historic year for the Upper Makefield Youth Baseball League (UMYBL). For the first time in its 32 year existence, the township has placed three teams (its 9-, 11-, and 12-year-olds) in the Pennsylvania State Championship tournaments, specifically, within the highly competitive Cal Ripken league.
If its 2009 season was a movie, UMYBL’s baseball might land on the far side of credible as it has not one, but three, Hoosiers-like state playoff streaks in the same season. Except that it’s real and it’s now for the Upper Makefield Mavericks.
This was actually the year converging paths of hard work came together for UMYBL. A very focused few years of player development has paralleled a very focused few years of facility development - and major upgrades have come in both areas.
UMYBL president Mike Sullivan reflected, “A lot of people have put in a great deal of effort to make this truly proud moment for the league a reality. More important though, our players and parents should be proud of what they have accomplished.”
Two years ago, the Lookout Park softball and youth baseball fields were added, as well as major improvements in the Senior baseball field. Over the past two years, the baseball complex by Sol Feinstone School has also seen dramatic improvements. Grand scoreboards grace each field now. The Senior Field’s warm-up pitching area, field, fence and foul pole quality have been dramatically upgraded.
The league went forward and spent considerably this past season to make the American and George’s Fields top-grade, Cal Ripken-quality (UMYBL elected to align itself with the Cal Ripken youth program during this period), and that has resulted in a breath-taking baseball campus.
New fences have been moved back and raised relative to their predecessors, creating interesting alleys and “monster” walls that are great fun for the kids and offer more interesting baseball. The “Mavs’s” stampeding horse logo snarls threateningly, its oversized image imprinted on the outfield fence screens and opponents’ psyches. Improved batting cages, soft-toss targets, batting tees, and an “Iron Mike” pitching machine get Mavs players ready now, virtually all year round now.
All of this laid the groundwork for Mavericks players and coaches to step up. And step-up they did.
Coaches Paul Thompson and Manager Bill McAlister’s 9-year-old team qualified for the State Championship tournament, taking a tough road.
After a 7-5 regular season that lead into the regular season playoffs, the Mavs beat a very tough Middletown squad before losing to Levittown Continental in The Suburban League Quarterfinals.
Big wins over major Bucks County powers Doylestown and Langhorne in the district tournament gave Upper Makefield their shot at state supremacy.
Coach Thompson said that, "we set a goal back in December to make it to States, and we were able to accomplish that very goal. It was especially rewarding considering the route we took in District championships.... having to fight our way back through the losers bracket in the toughest district in the state." He added, "We have had different players step up each game, which is a key ingredient in any championship run."
Coach John Parker, assisted by Bob Roda, Gary Roberts, and Peter Greubel have taken their eleven year olds from mid-level players to a top regional team this past year. The team won twenty games, starting in Maryland last March.
In the regular season they went 11-3, 10-1 after losing two of their opening three. They also went undefeated in a regional spring tournament in Rehobeth Beach, in May, and took second in the PONY State Championships earlier this month.
Coach Parker says he is most proud of the fact that “the boys have come together to make a very good team, combining their individual talents into a team that is competitive with the best teams in the State.
He adds, “they have so often succeeded when executing our core strategy: throw strikes, make the other team throw strikes, and only give the other team three outs per inning.”
Coach Rich Brunetti, and Matt Glenn, and Chuck Charlton have taken the twelve year-olds to new heights this season. They enjoyed great success in the regular season, league and district tournaments, compiling a 20-9 overall record, heading in the State Championship tournament.
Reflecting on how these boys have come together this year and over the past few years, Brunetti said he “found it most rewarding to see the boys grow up together and become a family.” He expanded on the sentiment to note, “the coaches really enjoyed seeing all thirteen players make significant contributions to the teams success.”
Looking at this year in the context of the past 32 years, George Strachan, one of UMYBL’s inspirations and founders, has been pleased at the transformation, commenting, “The strides we have made in the last few seasons should be very gratifying to all the people and players associated with our league.”
Strachan added, “Improved facilities and improved play are obvious to all, but, more importantly, we have continued to do things within the greatest spirit of competition and sportsmanship. Winning is important to us, but not at the expense of our core values. Those values allow all of our players and members to stand proud.”
While the sun sets on this historic season, all signs are for blue skies ahead for the Upper Makefield Mavericks and UMYBL. Things are looking up, way up for these local, modern-day baseball Hoosiers.
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