GRAY, Maine — The Gray-New Gloucester/Raymond 12U Little League team hasn't lost a single game this summer. That includes district, state, and regional tournament games. Now, the local team is one win away from the Little League World Series.
The Maine state champions took down New Hampshire and Massachusetts earlier this week in the New England Regional Tournament. Maine will face Massachusetts in a "win-or-go-home" championship game Thursday night at 7 p.m.
“We’ve been taking it one game at a time, one opponent at a time," head coach Brad Shelley said Wednesday.
As you could imagine, it can be tough for a group of kids to play good baseball in front of big crowds and countless television cameras. But Shelley said the moment his team stepped onto the field this week, they realized they can play with anyone.
Assistant coach Mike Amergian said this group of boys has been playing with each other for seven years, and that bond continues to grow. He added all 14 kids on the roster have grown into young men on and off the field.
“This has been probably one of the greatest experiences of my life and I got [my son Mason] and 13 others to thank," Amergian added.
Mason Amergian and Caleb Barker said everyone on the team is close, which is understandable after playing so much baseball together.
If you thought the bright lights would intimate this group from Maine, you'd be wrong.
“[It's] just another game, playing with our best friends," Mason said.
Many teams in the regional tournament wear their traditional home little league uniforms, but the local team has been wearing new "Maine" jerseys to remind themselves who they're playing for.
“They will leave everything out on the field and they will represent this state with pride and make [Mainers] proud," Shelley said.
The current Maine state champs are looking to be just the fourth team to ever make it to the Little League World Series, and the first in 18 years.
Back at their home field in New Gloucester, friends of players on the team have been following every pitch this week and this summer.
"We haven't had a lot of opportunities like this with this much talent on our All-Star teams," former Gray-New Gloucester player Carter Davis said. “So I’m very proud of all of them and what they’ve done.”
Davis and his brother Spencer are close with a lot of the kids on the roster and they both said this current Gray-New Gloucester team is great at hitting, pitching, and defense.
Their mom, Beth, is one of the countless members of the community who has worked hard behind the scenes all summer to give these players unforgettable memories.
She said dozens of people in the local area and across the state have donated to help the team get to the regional tournament and there are still ways to support the team.
Beth is also the "Player Agent" and makes sure the team's paperwork is filed before every tournament. She said all that hard work has been worth it.
“It’s just great to see, it’s heartwarming, to be honest," Beth added. "These boys, they are so selfless, they are so positive, they pick each other up.”
That strong team bond and connection to their community has brought Gray-New Gloucester this far, and now they face the biggest game of their still very young careers.
“We have to get the bat on the ball and get it in play because when we get the ball in play, great things will happen," Mike Amergian said.
Gray-New Gloucester and Canton Little League will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday on ESPN in the championship.
While many people outside of our state will consider Maine as the underdog, those closest to this team will remind you that is not the case this year.
If you are interested in supporting the team, click here.