The 2008 Herts Little League season drew to a close on Saturday with the presentation of individual awards for the four Herts teams. But before the trophy and medal presentation the players took part in the 2008 Herts Little League Home Run Derby.
In the first round Alex Ringrose (2) and Zack Longboy (1) hit home runs for the Blue Jays. For the Yankees, the big sluggers were brothers Lewis (1) and Liam Green (3) as well as Marty Cullen Jr (2). The absence of the League’s Home Run Leader, Lewis Paterson, for the Cubs was clear as they struggled to produce the necessary power. Kieran Manning recorded one home run for the Red Sox but the most notable performance in the first Round was that of another Red Sock. Mikito Ariga put on a real batting exhibition with six home runs reminding spectators at Grovehill Ballpark of Josh Hamilton’s performance on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean at Yankee Stadium during the MLB Home Run Derby earlier this year.
Photos from the day (including shots from the Family Softball Game)
Four of the players with highest scores in the first Round made it through to the Final Round where players had only 5 Outs to work with. Mikito Ariga recorded one home run while Marty Cullen Jr had two, but this wasn’t enough as Liam Green and Alex Ringrose both hit 3 home runs. This meant that the winner was to be decided in a Sudden-Death Elimination between the two. Ringrose and Green were taking a swing each until finally Liam Green hit a bomb which confirmed him as the 2008 Home Run Derby Champion.
In the 2008 Awards Ceremony which followed, every player’s contribution was acknowledged with the presentation of the Herts Little League medals. Players from each of the four teams were awarded with the individual awards in the various categories. Infield and Outfield Gold Gloves were presented for some outstanding defensive performances. The big hitters in each team received the Batting Champion trophies. The Cy Young Award recognized the pitching aces of 2008. For many players 2008 was the first year playing the game of baseball and the Rookie of the Year trophies were presented to those who have worked hard to develop their baseball skills and as a result have had very successful debut seasons.
Since the final game of the season the Little League players have been casting their Most Valuable Player (MVP) votes in order to determine the four players (one from each of the four teams) who is deemed most valuable to the team not only in terms of ability, talent and statistics but the ability to act as a team leader. This is perhaps the best award to be given as the MVP is seen as the best-all round player on the team and the one who has contributed most to the team’s success.
The Red Sox MVP vote was very competitive with both Charlie Mayhew and Yuki Ariga coming very close, but it was Yuki’s brother, Mikito, who picked up the MVP. Storm Frisby, Nicolas Carlean and Georgia Ringrose all picked up MVP votes, but the undoubted winner among the Blue Jays was, Zack Longboy. Lewis Paterson was the MVP for the Cubs in a close race with Carlos Casal Jr. Finally, for the 2008 Champions, the Herts Yankees, the highest number of votes were collected by Liam Green.
FULL LIST OF AWARD WINNERS
HERTS RED SOX
|
MVP |
Mikito Ariga |
|
Batting Champion |
Mikito Ariga |
|
Infield Gold Glove |
Kieran Manning |
|
Outfield Gold Glove |
Declan Carlean |
|
Rookie of the Year |
Jamie Brener |
|
Cy Young Award |
Mikito Ariga |
HERTS BLUE JAYS
|
MVP |
Zachary Longboy |
|
Batting Champion |
Alex Ringrose |
|
Infield Gold Glove |
Dan Phillips |
|
Outfield Gold Glove |
Storm Frisby |
|
Rookie of the Year |
Ozan Martin |
|
Cy Young Award |
Zachary Longboy |
HERTS CUBS
|
MVP |
Lewis Paterson |
|
Batting Champion |
Lewis Paterson |
|
Infield Gold Glove |
Carlos Casal Jr |
|
Outfield Gold Glove |
Joshua Keenan |
|
Rookie of the Year |
Paul Sands |
|
Cy Young Award |
Carlos Casal Jr |
HERTS YANKEES
|
MVP |
Liam Green |
|
Batting Champion |
Liam Green |
|
Infield Gold Glove |
Marty Cullen Jr |
|
Outfield Gold Glove |
Lewis Green |
|
Rookie of the Year |
Theo Longboy |
|
Cy Young Award |
Marty Cullen Jr |