Local little leaguers headed to Williamsport

PHOTOGRAPHER: Photo Provided

Patrick Civitello, left, and Alex Deitz from Schenectady Little League will play in Williamsport this week.

Eighteen Little League all-stars representing District 12 will play a series of games Wednesday through Saturday at Carl E. Stotz Field in Memorial Park, the original home of the Little League World Series, in Williamsport, Pa.

District 12 is made up of leagues from Schenectady, Scotia, Rotterdam, Duanesburg, Cobleskill, Middleburgh, Schoharie, Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville.

“It took four or five years to get it going, and we’ve been doing this for 20 years now,” said Dave Jelenic, an associate administrator for District 12 who helps select the local all-stars. “It’s an opportunity for them to learn about the history of the game, represent our district and play on the field where the Little League World Series started.”

The District 12 team consists of Troy Cammer, Patrick Civitello, Colin Cotter, Alex Deitz, Frankie DeMaio, Micheal DeMarco, Andre Deumaga, Preston DiGiovanni, A.J. Fasolino, Stephen Gray, Ty LaBarge, Paul Marotta, Brayden Monk, Aiden Parslow, Andrew Schraa, Hunter Strauser, Zach Tallon and Logan Yaggle, and is coached by Vince DiGiovanni, Steve Gray, Paul Marotta, Chris Parslow and Steve Monk.

Civitello will be playing on the same field his great uncle Ed Ferraro did at the1953 Little League World Series. Ferraro was a catcher for Schenectady Little League’s runner-up team that year, and Civitello, a shortstop and pitcher, is also a member of that league.

“I think it’s pretty cool that my son will get an opportunity to play on the same turf as my uncle did,” said Patrick Civitello’s mom, Patty Civitello. “It’s a cool story.”

Thirty-six all-star players from the District 12 leagues were selected to participate in a three-game tournament in Duanesburg earlier this summer, and from those, 18 were chosen for the trip to Williamsport. That is where Stotz founded Little League Baseball in 1939.

The field that bares Stotz’s name was established in 1942, and from 1947 through 1958 it served as the location for the Little League World Series. The field in 2014 was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The District 12 team has three games scheduled against Pennsylvania all-star teams, and Jelenic said he is working to set up a fourth game. One of the games will be against all-stars from the Williamsport league that Stotz founded.

Reach Gazette Sportswriter Jim Schiltz at 518-395-3143, [email protected] or @jim_schiltz on Twitter.