The San Carlos Little League 9- to 11-year-old All-Stars went on a historic run to place third in the Southern California state tournament on July 31.
A total of 423 Little League teams compete in Southern California, and the San Carlos team went undefeated in district and section play to qualify for the state tournament.
Their run ended with a loss against Claremont Little League, tying the program’s best-ever finish at third place, which was achieved two years ago for the first time.
Grant McDevitt, the team’s center fielder, said that when the All-Star season began in May, he wasn’t expecting to make it so far.
“I knew we were good, but I didn’t know that we were going to state,” McDevitt said. “Only a few San Carlos teams have ever even gone to the tournament.”
But the team kept winning, first in District 33, where 14 local teams compete, and then in their section, which includes much of San Diego County.
“It was very exciting,” said left fielder Eli Avraham. “It got louder and louder every game.”
The team’s biggest moment came in the second game of the state tournament, when they found themselves down a run in the bottom of the sixth inning, the last inning in Little League, with two outs.
Shortstop and pitcher Elliott Friend then hit a walk-off two-run home run, giving San Carlos an 8-7 victory and sending them to the semifinals.
“We all went crazy,” Avraham said.
He also said it felt good to represent his district and section at the state tournament, and he was grateful to be a part of the team.
Head coach Zach Friend, Elliott’s father, said he was focused on creating a culture of respect for the game by teaching the players to lose well and win humbly.
“We wanted to create an environment that they could grow both as people and as baseball players,” Friend said.
Friend grew up playing in the San Carlos Little League, alongside Frankie Busalacchi, another coach on the All-Star team. They both have a son on the team.
“To watch our kids go even further than we were able to take it was a very beautiful full-circle moment,” Friend said.
