Regionals a 'Once in a Lifetime Experience' for Newton SouthEast

For Little League players around the country, reaching the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn., is the dream of all sports dreams. For Newton SouthEast team members, that dream could be a week away from coming true.

Now representing the entire state after winning the Massachusetts championship last week, Newton opens play on Saturday in the New England tournament. The locals play at 11 a.m. in Bristol, Conn., against Maine, which lost its opening game to Rhode Island, 11-2, on Friday afternoon.

On Sunday, Newton will battle Rhode Island with a 2 p.m. first pitch before the team has Monday off. The cameras will be rolling on Tuesday when Newton takes on New Hampshire at 4 p.m. on the New England Sports Network (NESN).

Wednesday’s final game in pool play takes place at 4 p.m. for SouthEast. The local nine take on Connecticut, with the game again being broadcast on NESN.

The top four teams in pool play reach Thursday’s semifinal tilts, which are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on NESN. The remaining two teams will take the diamond on Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN with the prestigious berth representing New England in the Little League World Series on the line.

“We’re trying to get them to approach it as if these are just any other game,” said manager John Taft. “We don’t want them focused on the fact that it’ll be televised. I do think that the days the games are going to be televised, we will talk about it prior to the game, but we’ll just take everything on a day-to-day basis.”

Among the players to watch for beginning this weekend are Brandon Lee, a versatile player who fields a handful of positions, along with shortstop Dante Taylor. In addition, pitcher and infielder Zeke O’Connoll and 11-year-old leadoff hitter Adam Freedman will also likely play large roles in this week’s tournament.

Though there will be some added pressure on the youngsters due to the big stage, Taft said it’s going to be a week to remember regardless of the outcome.

All of the New England teams stay at the Bristol Little League complex, and the Newton players are looking forward to piling up new friendships in addition to victories.

“They’ve been talking about challenging the other teams to ping pong matches and just having fun with them. I know a lot of the parents are looking forward to soaking in the atmosphere and just soaking in the experience in general,” said Taft. “Yes we want to win. I don’t think there’s a team there that doesn’t. But in addition to wanting to win, we’re looking at it as a once in a lifetime experience for all of the kids. So we want to make it as enjoyable as possible with baseball being half the reason we’re going.”

Be sure to check back with Newton Patch over the weekend for updates on the team’s games. For more coverage on the team, click on the links below:

• Newton's Little Big Leaguers Win the Big One
• Meet the Champs: Newton SouthEast Players, Coaches Introduce Themselves
• Road to Bristol Has Been a Magical One for Newton SouthEast
• Trip to Regionals Means Games, Fun and Expenses for Newton's Little Leaguers
• And the State Champs Have Left the City
• When Are the Newton SouthEast Little League Games?
• Good Luck to the State Champs
• Newton Little Leaguers Going Where Few Have Gone Before