New England Champion Shelton National Little Leaguers Managed by Andrew Warde High School Class of 1976 Grad Ed Szymansky

All of Connecticut is rooting for the 12-year-old Shelton National Little League team to win the World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. However, for those of us who graduated from Andrew Warde High School in 1976, the week-long baseball extravaganza has special significance.

Ed Szymansky, a member of the AWHS Class of '76, is the manager of the team, which captured the New England Regional championship last week in Bristol to earn a berth in the nationally-televised event. Shelton National swept all six games in the regional tournament by a combined 48-2 score.

"I'm having a blast, just having a blast," admitted Szymansky, whose 12-year-old son, Jake, plays leftfield, hit two home runs, and had three RBI in Bristol last week. "It's like being in Little League heaven here. There's nothing better for these kids. This will probably be the highlight of their lives unless they make the majors, you know?"

The scope of his team's accomplishment wasn't lost on the former Crimson Eagle, either. "This is amazing. Over 6,600 teams tried to get here and only 16 made it, and we're one of them. That's incredible."

Shelton National is attemptiong to become the first Connecticut Little League team to win the World Series since Chris Drury led Trumbull to the crown nearly 20 years ago in 1989. Soon, Szymansky's son, Jake, who hit .375 and scored four runs in the tourney in Bristol, may become a household name just like the current NHL star and former Fairfield Prep hockey legend, Drury.

Szymansky said his team is well-prepared for the challenges it will face in the next week. "Everyone's fine. Everyone's healthy," he admitted. "It was tough the first couple of days getting everyone down to practice with the bug that was going around, but everyone showed up (Thursday), and we've been working on our fundamentals and getting the kids geared up to play.

"They're chomping at the bit," he continued. "There's been a lot of down time. They're ready to go. They've looked good in practice. They've looked good in the cages. Now it's time to go out here and do what we do."

The New England Regional champions play their first game this evening against Waipio, Hawaii, at 6:30 at Volunteer Stadium. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN2. Good luck, Ed, Jake, and the entire team. You have the people of Connecticut and the alumni of Andrew Warde High School behind you.

Watch the feature story about Shelton National Little League's New England Regional championship which aired on New England Cable News and WTNH-TV channel 8. Click the title of the post above to watch the video without the theme music.



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Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".