Aruba on its way to making Little League history!

courtesy of: The Morning News

written by: Rosalie Klein

Aruba’s Prime Minister Mike Eman was proud to welcome home yesterday Aruba’s Little League team, which just won the Caribbean Regional Championships in St. Thomas; the first time they have brought home the title since 1976.

The Prime Minister received the team and its coaches in the gardens of Government House to present each player with a certificate of appreciation and their coaches, Nildo Wernet, Estafano Croes and Luigi Bergen with special commemorative silver coins celebrating 2011 as Aruba’s 25th anniversary of “Status Aparte.”

This victory comes on right on the heels of Aruba’s Senior League players returning from Mexico having won the Latin America Championship 2011 title, and their place at the Se­nior League World Series in Bangor, Maine, in August. Aruba is presently the defen­ding world champions of the Senior League, having won the World Series last year.

Aruba’s Junior League team began their shot at their division title yesterday afternoon in The Bahamas, and islanders are keeping their fingers crossed for an historic clean sweep of youth baseball championships this year.

Aruba’s Little League team returned triumphant when both second-place teams in pool play upset the #1-seed from the opposite pool in the crossover semifinal contests. Aruba North Little League was a 4-0 winner over the previous year’s champions, Jose M. Rodriguez Little League of Puerto Rico, and Elrod Hendricks West Little League from St. Thomas posted an 8-7 victory over Curacao’s Paribo Little League to set up the title contest. Aruba defeated St. Thomas in the final match 4-2, securing their place to battle against the Japan Champion, Hamamatsu Minami Little League on August 18 in the Howard J. Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Prime Minister Eman personally thanked each player and their coaches for the “enormous pride and honor they bring to each Aruban and the demonstration that a tiny island such as our can produce players with such heart and determination.”