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.