The Naamans Little League baseball all-stars, a team of 11- and 12-year-old boys from north Wilmington, saw their quest for a berth in the Little League World Series come to an end on Aug. 12 in Bristol, Conn., with a 7-3 loss to Holidaysburg, Pa. The Pennsylvania team will be the Mid-Atlantic representative when the youth baseball tournament opens up in Williamsport, Pa., on Aug. 17.
Of the 14 boys on the roster, all but one have a connection to the Diocese of Wilmington. Nine of them attend either St. Mary Magdalen School, Immaculate Heart of Mary School or St. Edmond’s Academy, and three others play Catholic Youth Ministry athletics. One other is the son of a teacher and coach at Saint Mark’s High School.
Luke Luzader, a student at St. Mary Magdalen, hit a home run to tie the game against Holidaysburg, but Naamans eventually fell behind, 6-1. Zach Derbyshire, another St. Mary Magdalen student, and Peter Hudson, who competes for the parish CYM teams, knocked in runs, but it wasn’t enough.
Naamans had plenty of fans watching and rooting back in the First State.
“It has been an exciting week watching our students compete at this level, in a sport they love, representing, and representing well, our community,” said Tina Morroni, the principal at IHM.
