Posts Tagged ‘Little League baseball’

Hope and baseball

Posted: August 22, 2023 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper

Amid the news of hatred and hurricanes, the Little League World Series and its stories provide a welcome relief.

Even the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals, who played a game during the series, reveled in the purity of the game of young players worldwide.

Held each year in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, which is 15 minutes from my home, the two-week-long championship provides many tales of hope and opportunity.

The best story this year centers on Illia Kolomoiets, a refugee from Ukraine who plays for the Czech Republic.

Until 2022, Kolomoiets and his family lived in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. When Russians invaded the country, Kolomoiets, his mother, and his older brother were part of the 6.2 million Ukrainians who became refugees.

“We evacuated in March of 2022. It was me, my mother, and my older brother. We moved with a friend in his car to help transport them over the border. The journey to Prague took 12 to 13 hours,” he said through a translator.

Now living in Prague, Kolomoiets was part of the Little League team that went undefeated in its qualification stage. Throughout the regional tournament, which took place in Kutno, Poland, at the end of July, his team dominated the competition. The team finished a perfect 5-0, defeating the United Kingdom 16-0, France 4-0, the Netherlands 18-3, Italy 4-2, and the Netherlands again in the championship round 7-6.

In Prague, the 12-year-old outfielder found an outlet in baseball, even adopting a Major League baseball team. “My favorite team is the Pittsburgh Pirates,” Kolomiets said. His favorite player, outfielder Bryan Reynolds, plays for the Pirates.

When asked what the best part of competing in the tournament was, Kolomoiets said, “Being able to face great pitching. I can experience it.”

His coach applauded Kolomoiet’s skills. “It’s Illia’s first year with me,” Arnošt Nešnal said. “I saw that he was a very fast runner who can play any position. He is very good addition for our team.”

See the interview from the Williamsport Sun-Gazette at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIcgUc1LUU4