Lyndhurst Little League 7/8U head coach Jairo Espinal and his coaching staff knew this group of youngsters have bright futures based on their work with some of them as far back as t-ball.
The District 5 Tournament in late June showed that they’re ahead of schedule and already capable of playing at a high level.
On June 29, Lyndhurst’s 8U All-Stars capped off a dominant tournament run with a 6-1 victory over Rutherford to win the best of three series with its nearby rival to take the District 5 title.
Overall, Lyndhurst went 5-1 to capture its first District title at any age group since 2019.
“I’d say we were very optimistic going in that these kids were going to perform,” said Espinal, who coaches with Kevin Lebron, Michael DeCandia and Jim Onnembo. “Obviously you don’t know what the outcome will be, but we were very optimistic. I and the other coaches love this age group.
“These kids have been playing for a while now, so it’s all kind of coming to fruition a lot faster than we thought.”
Alexander Espinal, Breyden Flanagan and Matthew Lebron have done the bulk of the pitching during this run for Lyndhurst. Catching them has been Nate Medrano.
At first base has been Dominant Tucker with Gio D’Ozzollinni starting at third base. The middle of the Lyndhurst has been a rotation with Lebron, Espinal and Flanagan manning second base and shortstop in addition to pitching. Espinal has led the team in RBI and Flanagan in runs scored, each with 10.
Matteo DeCandia starts in center field with Matthew Novas and Luis Rodriguez in the corners. James Onnembo, Rocco Rotundo and Matthew Sucuzhanay have also seen extensive time in the outfield.
As a whole Lyndhurst scored 55 runs during the six games thanks to an incredibly deep lineup which has seven players hitting .450 or better.
“Everyone’s contributed in some way, shape or form,” Espinal said. “That’s been the beauty of it. You’ve seen kids excel.”
Lyndhurst looks to keep its run going during the Sectional Tournament, which begins on Saturday at Garfield.
Last Sunday was the first tournament title of any kind for many of these kids and if they’re play in the District 5 Tournament was any indication, it will be the first of many in the years to come.
“The excitement is real (for both the players and coaches),” Espinal said. “It is beyond fun to see the little guys contribute and win.”
Learn more about the writer ...
Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)