Robbie Hammer/For the Fairfax County Times
Fans and family members of the Reston National Little League team celebrate a run early in the team’s state championship win over the SYA East on Wednesday night in Leesburg.
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Fairfax County teams dominate state Little League tournament
Reston National and SYA East squared off in championship game
After his team defeated Poquoson on Tuesday night, Reston National manager Jeff Grammes reveled in the fact that of the four teams to reach the semifinals of this week’s Virginia State Little League tourney, three were from Fairfax County.
“It just goes to show you how strong Little League is in this area,” he said. “It’s an honor to be right there with such great teams.”
Even the tournament’s final game was an all-Fairfax County affair as Reston National faced off with Southwestern Youth Association East for the state title.
“In Northern Virginia, the Little League foundation is alive and strong,” Grammes said. “This region always expects to be competing for the title and that’s the case this year again.”
For the past three years, a team from Fairfax County has won the state title and represented the state at the Southeastern Regional Little League Tournament.
At this year’s state tournament, the strength of Fairfax County continued its run. The three Fairfax County teams dominated their opposition throughout pool play and in the elimination tournament.
West Springfield American finished a perfect 3-0 in pool play before bowing out of the tournament at the hands of SYA East in a 10-4 loss. Reston National and SYA East both compiled 2-1 records in pool play, but tore through their opponents to reach the final.
Reston defeated Pool A champion Bridgewater 5-0 in the opening round of the tournament and then stunned District 7’s Poquoson with a 13-9 win. SYA East trounced tournament hosts Loudoun South 10-0 before defeating West Springfield to reach the final for the second consecutive year.
West Springfield American manager Ken Shreves points toward a strong Little League community in Northern Virginia for the region’s success.
“There’s a lot of history in Little League here,” Shreves said. “There’s a hotbed of baseball here and the league infrastructure has been here. We know how to run teams, how to do training and we have quality leagues with dedicated fan bases.
“These kids can choose to play lacrosse or soccer, but they still come to play baseball,” he added. “It’s because there’s a great history of baseball [in Northern Virginia].”
SYA East manager Jamie Brusick said he was so caught up in the baseball action, he didn’t recognize Fairfax County’s dominance at first.
“I really don’t think about it, but my wife pointed it out to me and it’s great,” he said. “You can really see the quality of players from our area at this tournament. Northern Virginia produces great baseball players and it starts in Little League.”
Brusick noted the best Little League programs aren’t building for one generation of players, but rather invest in children of all ages. It’s a formula the SYA Little League has used to produce their championship teams.
“If you look at the people that are usually at this tournament, like West Springfield, they have great programs all the way down to t-ball,” he said. “These programs are built for the long haul, not for one generation. It doesn’t surprise me the area is very good.”
rablers@fairfaxtimes.com