Dream Team
Bryce Alderton
Little League 2002 in the Newport-Mesa community was yet again a
season of great feats by great players which made for some great
teams from Newport Beach Little League American and National, Costa
Mesa National Little League and Costa Mesa American Little League, as
well as the Newport Harbor Baseball Association Bronco Division from
the Pony League.
Some of the highlights of the All-Star season included Newport
Beach National Little League’s Major All-Stars’ thrilling ride to the
championship game of the District 55 All-Star Tournament, winning an
11-inning epic duel against Lake Forest in the semifinals while the
Newport Harbor Baseball Association’s Bronco A team made a stirring
comeback against La Mirada to win, 16-13, to advance to the district
sectionals.
This mighty dozen made their respective All-Star teams with
valuable contributions during both the regular and All-Star seasons
and they are honored as the Daily Pilot’s 2002 Little League Dream
Team.
Erik Bonn (Newport Harbor Baseball Association Mets, NHBA Bronco A
All-Star) -- Considered one of the best hitters in the league by NHBA
Bronco Manager Ron D’Cruz, Erik led the league with 10 regular-season
home runs and went 15 for 38 (.395) in All-Star play up to the
district tournament.
In the district tournament Erik hit above .300.
Erik played first base and catcher during the regular season with
the Mets, but mainly played first base in All-Stars competition.
D’Cruz called the 110-pound first baseman, “one of the smartest
kids when he gets the ball.”
Peter Hapke (NHBA Giants, NHBA Bronco A) -- Hapke anchored center
field during All-Star play and always seemed to find a way to get on
base as the team’s leadoff hitter.
Hapke scored three runs in the team’s 16-13 win over La Mirada in
the district tournament.
In three previous district tournament games against Anaheim,
Fountain Valley and Los Alamitos, Hapke went a combined 5 for 11 and
had two RBIs in a 15-9 loss to Fountain Valley.
In the team’s Memorial Day Tournament, Hapke had an on-base
percentage of .600, good for fourth.
Ryan Redding (Costa Mesa National Diamondbacks, CMN All-Stars) --
The second baseman and second starting pitcher on the D-backs, Ryan
helped lead the D-backs to the CMN championship series against the
Dodgers.
Ryan knocked in the D-backs’ only run with a single in the third
inning in the Dodgers’ 4-1 series-clinching victory. He also had a
walk and a stolen base and even pitched an inning allowing no runs, a
hit and a walk while striking out two.
Ryan again scored CMN’s only run in their 3-1 loss to Huntington
Valley in the District 62 All-Star Tournament. Ryan singled twice and
walked, finishing the game 2 for 3.
He finished the year with a .590 on-base percentage and .385
average.
Brandon Maurer (Costa Mesa National D-backs, CMN All-Stars) --
Brandon hit .355, had two home runs and was the D-backs’ starting
pitcher while also playing shortstop and first base.
He pitched three innings in relief, not allowing a run while
giving up one hit, and striking out six against the Dodgers in the
second game of the teams’ championship series.
Brandon continued his strong pitching in All-Stars, striking out
eight and walking only three in a 3-1 loss to Huntington Valley. His
bat came alive in CMN’s loss to Fountain Valley the following day,
going 2 for 3 with an RBI.
Twice he hit two home runs in a single game during the regular .
Andrew Silva (Newport Beach American Reds, Newport Beach American
All-Stars) -- The 5-foot-3, 105-pound pitcher and first baseman for
the Newport Beach Little League American Reds said his favorite
moment of the season was getting to the NBLL Majors championship game
against the National League’s Diamondbacks. In the nine-inning game
won by the D-backs, 3-2, Silva came on in relief of starter Blaine
Nielsen to strike out two in 2 2/3 innings. Andrew, along with
Nielsen, anchored the Reds’ pitching staff.
Silva ended the regular season with a .463 batting average, a .960
fielding percentage and a 0.51 ERA.
In NBLL’s first All-Star game against Rancho Niguel Silva went 1
for 3, the only other Newport batter besides Joe Eberhard (two hits)
to collect a hit in the game.
Connor Whalen (Newport Beach National D-backs, Newport Beach
National All-Stars) -- Connor provided steady fielding at shortstop
and occasionally at third base throughout the entire season, gobbling
up countless ground balls and turning them into outs.
Connor went 4 for 9 in a three-game span in the District 55
Tournament of Champions to help the D-backs reach the quarterfinals.
Connor hit a solo home run in the sixth inning against Lake Forest
and went 2 for 3 with two singles and a walk in the D-backs’ 14-2 win
over Laguna Niguel.
In one of the more crucial at-bats in his Little League All-Star
career, he delivered a two-run double with two on and two out in the
fifth inning to give Newport a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over San
Clemente in District 55 All-Star Tournament play to help Newport
advance to the winner’s bracket final where they would win in 11
innings against Lake Forest, 4-3, before bowing out in the tournament
final to North Mission Viejo.
Chris Rosen (Newport Beach National D-backs, Newport Beach
National All-Stars) -- Chris played first base and pitched for John
Della Grotta’s D-backs and for Bob Rovzar’s Newport Beach National
All-Star team.
At one stretch of the District 55 All-Star Tournament Rosen had
thrown 12 innings allowing only one run and contributed at the plate,
going 3 for 3 with two runs scored as he blasted a three-run home run
over the scoreboard in center field against North Mission Viejo.
Chris scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th on a walk
to Garrett Amoroso in the 4-3 win over Lake Forest.
Chris batted .650 in the regular season and led the league with
four home runs.
Scott Colton (Newport Beach National D-backs, Newport Beach
National All-Stars) -- Scott hit .560 for the D-backs, who were 15-3
in the regular season, and was a key pitcher as well. He hit two home
runs, including a grand slam in the regular season and hit a grand
slam in the first inning of the D-backs’ 14-2 win over Laguna Niguel
the District 55 Tournament of Champions.
In All-Star play, Colton turned in a gutsy nine-inning,
three-strikeout, 110-pitch performance against Lake Forest in
Newport’s 4-3 11-inning win. In previous All-Star play, Scott pitched
a complete game with six strikeouts in a 7-4 win over Rancho Santa
Margarita.
Justin Long (Costa Mesa National Dodgers, CMN All-Stars) -- The
138-pound pitcher threw six complete games and led the league with
fewest walks.
Justin pitched brilliantly in five innings of relief work in the
Dodgers’ 2-1 loss to Huntington Valley in the District 62 Tournament
of Champions. He struck out 10, walked two and allowed one run. He
struck out the side in the sixth, the last two batters looking with
runners on first and second.
During the regular season Long hit .317 with a home run.
Andrew Millian (Costa Mesa American Tigers, Costa Mesa American
All-Stars) -- Andrew played shortstop and pitcher for Tigers’ Manager
Ted Spoulos. He threw the second-most innings (37), had the
second-most strikeouts (50) and had the second-lowest ERA (1.78) on
the Tigers.
In the Tigers’ loss to the Yankees in the deciding Game 3 of their
championship series, Andrew went 2 for 3 with an RBI and scored two
runs, and pitched the final two innings, striking out three of eight
batters faced, retiring the side in order in the fifth.
Ben Frazier (NHBA Bronco D-backs, NHBA Bronco A All-Stars) --
Ben’s hitting took off in the Pony Baseball District Tournament in
Irvine to help his NHBA Bronco teammates advance to the sectional
tournament in Garden Grove.
In NHBA’s 11-8 win over Los Alamitos in their district opener,
Frazier hit a two-run double in the third inning to give Newport the
lead for good, finishing with another double to go 3 for 4 on the
day.
Ben finished the team’s four-game district tournament with seven
doubles, one triple and one home run, batting 13 for 32 (.406).
The 5-foot, 100-pound Newport Beach resident played catcher and
shortstop.
Andrew Niles (Costa Mesa American Yankees, CMA All-Stars) -- The
135-pound pitcher and outfielder batted close to .550 in the regular
season with the Yankees, who beat the Tigers in the three-game
American League championship series.
Andrew had three home runs during the regular season and had three
strikeouts in three innings in Costa Mesa American’s first game of
the District 62 All-Star Tournament against Ocean View. Andrew also
singled in the game, one of only three Costa Mesa American batters to
get a hit in the game.
One of his big moments over the course of the season was when he
pitched against the Tigers, giving up one run in a 6-1 Yankees’ win.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.