The Melrose Little League 10-year old team defeated Westfield Little League 6-5 to capture the league's first State Championship in its 70-year history. For Melrose, it capped a successful run for the team through their district, sectional, and state championship tournaments.
Prior to the state championship, Melrose won the District 12 title defeating South Boston 5-0, and the Section 3 championship beating Walpole 2-1. Overall, the team finished 9-1 in Massachusetts State Tournament play before advancing to the East Coast Invitational in Cranston, Rhode Island. While there, Melrose Little League finished as the New England Region Runner-up, beating state champions from Salem (NH), Wells-Ogunquit (ME) and Cranston Western (RI) before ultimately falling to Fairfield National (CT) in the championship game.
"Our league is focused on getting the best performance from our players in a healthy team environment," said Jay Recinito, President of Melrose Little League. "We've expanded our league to include more players and more playing time throughout the year. I am incredibly proud of our program and the success of our 2023 State Championship team. These players have earned something for themselves and for the league as we continue to set the bar high as a little league organization."
Coach Dan Cordella led the team throughout the season: "As a father, a fan, and a coach, it's incredibly rewarding to see a group of kids come together. These kids brought the right combination of attitude, skill, and hustle to play at a championship level. I'm extremely proud of how they conducted themselves both on and off the field."
Little League baseball has been played in the City of Melrose, Massachusetts since 1952. It wasn't until 2023 that the city brought home their first Little League State Championship.
Players on the team include Dev Sullivan, Braden Bolger, Owen Pillsbury, Eamonn Judge, Colin Ryder, Joe Weaver, Lawton Chisholm, Ben Cordella, Alex Ogiba, Sam Kirsh, Michael Tierney, Drew Besegai, and Oliver Pechulis. The team is led by coaches Dan Cordella, Chad Ogiba, and Rob Kirsh.
About Melrose Little League
Melrose Little League is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing supervised baseball programs that are fun, educational, and competitive for players between the age of 4 and 12. The league operates three seasons of baseball in addition to indoor winter practices.
Melrose Little League is part of the Massachusetts District 12 Little League which serves the communities of Melrose, Medford, Malden, Somerville, Everett, and East Boston. Each summer, district teams compete within the state tournament, with the 12-year-old district team eligible to compete in the Little League World Series Williamsport Tournament, https://www.littleleague.org/world-series/.
Melrose Little League was formed in December 2016 following the successful merger of the Melrose National Little League (MNLL) and the Churchill American Little League (CALL) organizations and has served the community through its baseball programs continuously since 1952. The league has been a top performing fundraiser annually in support of The Jimmy Fund Summer Baseball Program and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.