A Little League team from ‘Everybody’s Hometown’ goes to the World Series

The Media Little League team is already at Williamsport, Pa., preparing for its first big game tonight at 7 p.m.

On Wednesday afternoon, Delaware County Council and Visit Delco hosted a sendoff pep rally at Media Borough Hall for family, friends, and residents traveling on a bus to support the team.

Patty McKeone doesn’t have kids playing for the team, but she is going anyway.

“These kids, they’ve worked so hard. It’s like they’re our kids. We’re supporting them,” she said.

Local elected officials and dozens of Delaware County residents came out to show their fandom while the bus was loaded and departed.

Even the Phillie Phanatic made an appearance.

On Wednesday night, the Delaware County little leaguers will play against Texas East from Needville, Texas, representing the U.S. Southwest region.

It’s Media’s first game of the double-elimination tournament.

“I was doing a little scouting report on the Texas East team. They can hit, but I don’t think they’re ready for our defense today,” said Edmund Homa, 41, from Media.

Edmund, his wife, and his son, who is also named Edmund and plays on the younger division of the Little League team, all departed on the bus to cheer for the home team.

“This is a really big deal because I’m 10, and some of the kids playing on the team are 11. So I thought, I’m going to be doing that kind of stuff in like two years,” said the younger Edmund. “So it’s really inspiring and exciting for me.”

Borough Councilmember Mark Paikoff looked like a kid in a candy story as he walked onto the bus.

“This is quite possibly the biggest deal in a long, long time,” Paikoff said. “We had a parade for the Eagles. We’ve had things for four teams that have gone places. These are our local boys. These are our students at our local schools. They’re not making millions of dollars to hit a ball. They’re there for the joy of the game. They’re there to enjoy themselves. And they have really captivated our community.”

Media Little League defeated a team from Washington, D.C. in dramatic fashion — a walk-off home run — to snatch the Mid-Atlantic Regional championship on Aug. 11 in Bristol, Conn.

State Sen. Tim Kearney isn’t heading to Williamsport, but he’s passionate about baseball and is a historian of the game.

“I grew up in Toms River, New Jersey, so I know a little bit about Little League and how that kind of works,” Kearney said. “But it’s really been great. And Delco loves to grab this kind of underdog status.”

If the team wins on Wednesday evening, they will face the Midwest Regional team on Friday. But if they happen to lose, they have a chance to keep their World Series hopes alive in a do-or-die match on Saturday in the elimination bracket.

“Whatever happens, this has been a very great experience for everyone,” Borough Councilmember Joi Washington said. “And I just hope that we all can keep up this momentum for the next seasons to come.”