Middleboro Little League earned the support of many New England baseball fans earlier this month when it played in front of the bright lights of the ESPN cameras at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
Middleboro became the first 12-year-old All-Star team from Massachusetts to play in the Little League World Series since 2009. No Middleboro team had won a Massachusetts 12-year-old state championship since 1994.
The New England champs eventually went 0-2 in Williamsport, but not before experiencing the pinnacle of the Little League experience. Middleboro coach Chad Gillpatrick led the way for his squad after serving as an assistant for last year's Middleboro 12-year-old All-Star team, which advanced to the Massachusetts state semifinals. Gillpatrick's son, Gavin, was the only returning player on this year's roster.
After going through the experience of coaching two 12-year-old All-Stars teams deep into the summer, Coach Gillpatrick shared five keys for All-Star coaches with New England Baseball Journal.
