By Jon Malavolti
C & G Sports Writer

Home is where the hits are.

At least that was the case for the Grosse Pointe Park 10- and 11-year-old baseball team, as an offensive explosion carried the squad to the Michigan Little League State Tournament title Aug. 2 at Elworthy Field.

“The hitting was so impressive,” said coach Jim Williams. “They played above their age level. It was something to see.”

The Park team defeated a Midland-area squad 15-0 in the championship game. It ended up going 13-0 combined in the district and state tournaments, outscoring its opponents 160-15.

“We knew we had a good team,” Williams said. “But we didn’t expect to run through the tournament the way they did.”

The team, made up of some of the best players in their age division of the Grosse Pointe Park Little League, trained long and hard the past month to prepare for the postseason.

“I’ve been telling the boys that hard work pays off,” Williams said. “And they worked extra hard.”

The team was knocked out of the postseason last year in the district round.

“They were very motivated by last year’s defeat,” the coach added.

Williams said this was the first state title for a Grosse Pointe Park Little League team at any level since 1993.

“We have a real good group of kids — a nice mix of hitters, defensive players and pitchers,” the coach said.

While the state tournament is the end of the season for the team this year, next year, as 12-year-olds, they’ll have a chance to advance to a regional round if they win state title and possibly onward to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

Members of the title-winning team are Bennett Aretakis, Nick Azar, Brian Blanzy, Jack Bodien, Ian Corbett, Mark Der Manulian, Andrew Eaton, Adam Morris, Michael Schneider, Cole Semanision, Jacob Stone and Jack Ryan Williams.

You can reach Sports Writer Jon Malavolti at jmalavolti@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1040.