Alex Kent

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In the beginning
They were selected from a pool of 34 eligible players and four major little league teams. Cardinals Henry Conroy, Nick Fecteau, Hugh Sheahan, Rayne Supple, and Harrison Thayer; Alex Kent of the Giants; Red Sox players Jack Caswell, William Hesslink, Shea Ireland, and Will Ryan; and Yankee players Andrew Pitcher and Thomas Stevens were chosen to become the 2010 Shelburne 11 and 12-year-old All Star team.

"Making the All Star team is a reward, an honor for outstanding and deserving play during the regular baseball season," according to All Star Manager Bill Supple. "Once they put on the traditional Shelburne Red uniforms the players realize they've become part of something special - a team with big shoes to fill," he said adding, "Expectations for the 2010 team were especially high since nine of the 12 players were also selected to the 9 and 10-year-old state championship team in 2008."

The selection process
All Little League players interested in playing on the All Star team must first submit their names to their regular season manager for consideration. Managers and rostered assistant coaches from the players' minor or major league teams rank the candidates on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) for each of the following criteria: hitting, fielding, athletic abilities, respectfulness, positive attitude, pitching and throwing, running, hustle, commitment, and knowledge of the game. Major league players also have an all star vote. After the final regular season game, they pick their top 12 players via secret ballot. The players' votes and coaches' observations are taken into consideration by the major league managers (and the 11/12 All Star Manager, if designated) while choosing the all star team. The 11 and 12-year-old All Star team will carry 12 or 13 players who are selected by the unanimous consent of the major league managers and the 11/12 All Star Manager.

Commitment
Players are expected to attend all games and practices (five to six days per week at the coaches' discretion). The players must also make a commitment to remain with the team as long as the team is in the tournament. It is expected that the All Star team will be their first priority. Therefore players and families must make this commitment to be considered for all star selection.

The road to Bristol
All star games begin with pool play in the District 1 Tournament and each team is guaranteed to play at least four games. The top three teams from each pool advance to the double elimination phase. The winner of the District 1 Tournament advances to the State Tournament. The team may also advance to the Eastern Regional Tournament in Bristol, Conn., and finally the Little League Word Series in Williamsport, Pa.

During the District 1 Tournament the 2010 team quickly realized that the road to Bristol was through South Burlington (SB). "In my opinion what really brought this team together was when we played SB for the first time and lost 8-3. It wasn't the fact that we lost, it was how we lost," said Supple. "SB displayed a lack of good sportsmanship and their on and off-field antics upset the Shelburne players and rightfully so," he explained. "I can honestly say the last thing we wanted to do was play SB again."

After the loss, the Shelburne All Star team would have to battle back through the loser's bracket. A 5-1 win over Burlington American gave the team the opportunity to face SB again. This time Shelburne was prepared, and with help from district administrators, a fair and respectful game was assured. Shelburne defeated SB 4-0 to force a winner-take-all final game. In the title game Shelburne defeated SB 7-0 and advanced to the State Tournament.

"Adversity brought us together as a team," mentioned Supple. "After experiencing such a wild swing of events we felt that we could beat any team," he said proudly.

The Shelburne 11/12 All Star team posted a perfect 3-0 record in the State Tournament and was rewarded with the opportunity to represent Vermont in the Eastern Regional Little League Tournament. In fact, the Vermont State Champions had only lost one game in district play, and averaged over 10 runs per game before making its second trip, the first since 2005, to Bristol, Conn. Prompting Supple to say, "I can't be more proud of them. They are a very coachable bunch. They are a lot better than they were six weeks ago. We are looking forward to see what we can do against the other states."

Chasing history
No Vermont All Star team has advanced to the World Series since joining tournament competition in 1957. And only two have reached the regional finals: SB in 2001 and Burlington in 1981. The 2010 All Star team wanted to be the first. Despite two early losses to Connecticut (7-4) and Massachusetts (6-3) the Shelburne 11/12 All Stars defeated Maine 8-5 in a dramatic come from behind win. Because of the runs allowed tiebreaker, Vermont with its 1-3 record lived to play another day after Connecticut beat Massachusetts. Parent of one of the 2010 All Star players and Manager of the 2005 All Star Team, Ed Kent explains the runs allowed tiebreaker: "When teams have the exact same record you take the number of defensive innings played and divide it by the runs allowed. The team with the lowest ratio moves on. Which is how the 2010 All Star team advanced to the single elimination phase of the tournament," he said. In 2005 the Shelburne All Stars team also had a 1-3 record but did not advance to the next phase of the tournament because of the runs allowed tiebreaker. Kent said of his two-time All Star experience, "It didn't matter whether I was an All Star Manager or a parent on the sidelines, the experience in Bristol was terrific."

Despite losing to Rhode Island in a single elimination game Aug. 12, the 11/12 Shelburne All Stars made history. To date, they have advanced further than any Shelburne team on record. They couldn't be prouder. And neither could Shelburne.