Here’s why I’m going to the Little League World Series

LAKE MARY, Fla. – Babe Ruth nailed it when he said, “Baseball was, is, and always will be the best game in the world.”

America’s pastime has been an integral part of my life, so when I was asked to travel to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to cover the All-Stars from Lake Mary in their quest to win the Little League World Series, I jumped at the opportunity.

Like countless others, my baseball journey started on a tee ball field at West Seminole Pony Baseball in Altamonte Springs. At 5 years old, I was more intrigued by a post-game RC Cola and cup of boiled peanuts than the game itself. Yet, that small spark would ignite into a lifelong passion.

By age 12, baseball had become a year-round affair — one of the perks of growing up in sunny Central Florida. I played a whopping 162 games that year, according to my dad’s tally. The “off days” were likely spent practicing, playing wiffle ball in the backyard with my two younger brothers (more on them in a moment), or getting pulled out of school to catch Atlanta Braves spring training at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. This was around the same time Apopka Little League made a run at the Little League World Series. I played travel ball with a few guys on the team, and I’ll never forget when they took down the infamous Danny Almonte.

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Our family minivan clocked thousands of miles as we traveled to tournaments across the state. I still remember watching classic baseball movies like “Little Big League” and “The Sandlot” on the van’s grainy TV during those long summer drives. I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.

Baseball intensified when I got to Lake Brantley High School in Seminole County.

During my senior year in 2008, our squad went 30-4 and won the 6A state championship in Sarasota against Park Vista High School. Ironically, the game coincided with our senior prom, which we obviously missed. I didn’t have a date anyway.

After graduating high school, baseball took me to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. As a sophomore, I was a first-team All-Conference infielder, and our team went to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, all four years I was there. I even coached Lake Brantley’s JV team before I was hired at WKMG in 2013.

Baseball runs deep in my family. My two younger brothers, Tyler and Logan, made a much bigger mark on the sport than their older brother. Tyler was a pitcher at Stetson University and Florida State University and played professionally in the Los Angeles Angels organization. He currently works in the front office of the Seattle Mariners assisting with player acquisitions.

Logan, who also won a state championship when he attended Lake Brantley in 2013, was an All-American shortstop at the University of North Carolina. In 2017, he was drafted in the first round by the Toronto Blue Jays and currently plays for the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners

I’ve felt a great sense of nostalgia throughout our coverage of Lake Mary Little League’s run to the World Series. As I head to Williamsport to highlight this extraordinary moment for these boys, their families and friends, and our entire community, I’m reminded of the profound impact baseball has had on my own life and the sacrifices my parents made for their three baseball-obsessed sons. It forged lifelong friendships, strengthened our family bond, and created unforgettable memories.

So, yeah, baseball was, is, and always will be the best game in the world.

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