Members of the Maui Little League team sign small balls and toss candy to fans as the team parades past the crowd during the 2024 Grand Slam Parade in downtown Williamsport. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Central East Maui, Hawaii, secured its spot in the Little League World Series by defeating Eastvale, California, in San Bernardino just last Friday, completing a whirlwind trip across the country to arrive before Tuesday’s Grand Slam Parade.
“We were the last to arrive here. We were the last to validate our tickets. It was a real thrill.” said assistant coach Kevin Constantino. “It was a short detour from San Bernardino. You win. You celebrate for an hour. And before you know it, you’re on a bus to a charter plane the next morning and five, six hours later you’re here.”
Costantino noted that the team realized what was at stake in the third game of the regional championships.
“It was a tough time, but they stuck together and played a great game,” he said.
“The strength of the team lies in its will not to give up, to always compete, to always fight and to understand that there is always a chance,” said manager Daniel Bolduc, who took over as coach two months ago. “They are a nice bunch of kids. They work hard and are happy to accept constructive criticism.”
Their participation in the competition marks the first time anyone from that team has visited the Williamsport area. It is the 16th time a team from Hawaii has secured a spot in the World Series and the second time a team from Maui has reached the tournament.
“This is an incredible experience for these children,” Constantino said, adding that neither he nor assistant coach Ian Shimabuku have children on the team.
“Just anything you do for the kids. We were all retired and Dan asked us to coach at a tournament. After that, we stayed.” Said Shimabuku.
When asked what they were most looking forward to in the region, they said that the travel since the victory had left them with little time to plan.
“I’ll be honest, we don’t even have time to think about everything. Everything is going according to the motto ‘go, go, go’.” said Constantino.
The atmosphere surrounding the World Series and in the Williamsport area adds to the excitement this time of year.
“The kids here live like they’re famous all-stars, like major league players. It’s unreal, but live in the moment and enjoy this dream because it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.” said Constantino.
The West Region champions will face Salem, New Hampshire, in the first game of the Little League World Series at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Lamade Stadium.
“They’re excited for their first game tomorrow. They can’t wait. And I know they’re excited for the major league game.” said Constantino.
As for their chances of taking home the championship title, Constantino said they are simply living in the moment.
“We know we’re playing New England, but we haven’t really looked at all the other teams yet. We just want to take it one game at a time and not look too far ahead.” said Constantino.
“I just want to see how these guys perform on this stage,” said Bolduc.
Bulduc noted that the team was thrown in at the deep end pretty quickly in San Bernardino and that there were plenty of talented opponents there to gain experience against.
“I don’t know if it will get worse,” said Bolduc. “But we could compete there, so we can compete anywhere.”
