For years, Dos Pueblos Little League’s All-Star teams have been known as the “Boys of Summer.”
Teams of Little League players ranging from ages 7 to 14 practice daily and play high-intensity games multiple times a week under the summer sun.
The time and effort put in by these Boys of Summer paid off in 2022, as Dos Pueblos Little League collected five district titles and one section tournament championship across their six All-Star squads.
This summer, DPLL’s 8U, 10U, 11U, 12U and Juniors teams won District 63 championships while the 10U team also won the Section 1 Championship for their age group.
Although the credit for on-field performance belongs to the players and coaches of these teams, 10U head coach Chad Wang acknowledged the community that has been built around the Little League.
“The DPLL community is incredible, everyone is highly committed to bringing a wonderful baseball experience to the kids and community,” Wang said.
This sentiment was echoed by Kevin Sturm, who managed the 11U team this summer.
“To have five District banners speaks volumes to the level of play at DPLL,” Sturm said. “This motivates everyone to work hard, improve, and compete. It’s a testament to the commitment of those boys. But I think more importantly it highlights the commitment to our community as a whole and the development of every player that registers for our league.”
Along with the community, a strong coaching staff was built at DPLL over the past few years that has helped the league achieve the success it is now seeing.
From former college-level to high school coaches, the DPLL All-Star coaching staff combined for “over 50 years of combined Little League coaching experience,” according to Sturm.
“[The coaching] not only speaks volumes about the commitment to Little League and our community but to the players and their development,” Stern said.
Although the experience of the coaches is important, what wins championships is the performance and execution of the players on the field. And the Boys of Summer sure did execute this summer.
In the 8U team’s run to a district title, they had four comeback victories and won their championship game on a walk-off hit.
The 10U team also won their district championship on a walk-off before becoming the only DPLL team to win the Section 1 tournament. They ended the summer with a third-place finish in the So Cal State Tournament.
“Specifically for the 10U team, many of the kids were on the 7U team back in 2019 which won the District 63 Championship, and have stayed committed to playing baseball year-round,” Wang said. “After missing the 8U season due to the pandemic and losing the 9U District title… these kids were very hungry and focused towards our goal of winning District.”
Meanwhile, the 11U squad dominated their district tournament, collecting multiple wins by mercy rule and racking up 55 runs in four games played.
The 12U team captured a magical district title as well, winning by way of a walk-off hit at their home field of Girsh Park.
Rounding out the DPLL champions, the Juniors team won the district championship for the fourth year in a row.
The Boys of Summer lived up to their name in 2022, filling the month of July with exciting moments and championships.
“To me, the Boys of Summer are the group of kids, coaches, and families that have committed to representing the entire DPLL community in playing high-level All-Star baseball,” Wang said. “Win or lose, we want our Boys of Summer to take with them the memories of a fun summer of baseball. And this year we’re thrilled with the outcome of five district championships.”