A group of pre-teen sluggers is going from Park Slope to Puerto Rico this week in search of baseball immortality.
The Bonnie Braves — a collection of 9- to 11-year-olds who went 48–8 this season — earned their spot at this year’s American Amateur Baseball Congress World Series by winning the North Atlantic region with a 11–6 win over a Connecticut team earlier this month.
On Wednesday, the team, which plays in Prospect Park, will fly to Puerto Rico to take on teams from all over the country.
As with so many things, it’s all about the pitching.
“For the first time in four years, [we had] very sharp pitching,” said the team’s assistant coach, Sean Rice.
Of course, Rice is a bit biased: his son, J.C., is the team’s star pitcher.
The Bonnie Braves are the first team from Bonnie Youth Club — which is made up of 17 teams comprising players from age 5 to 21 — to make it to the AABC World Series.
But it’s not the league’s first success; several players have made it to the ultimate show, the big leagues. Most recently, 18-year-old Anthony Hewitt was drafted by the Phillies in the first round.
Though they’re headed for Puerto Rico this week, no one on the team is dreaming of some time on the beach.
“If we get to go to the beach, it means that we lost,” said shortstop Isaiah Russell. “We hope to be playing until [the finals on] Sunday.”
