It’s a young baseball player’s dream to make it to the Little League World Series, and this year, a team from Staten Island has achieved that milestone.

On Thursday, the 12-year-old division of the South Shore Little League faced a team from Nevada in Game 1 of the series. Ahead of the game, Mayor Eric Adams spoke to the hopefuls.

What You Need To Know

  • Twenty teams, both from the U.S. and internationally, will complete in the series

  • Staten Island lost to Nevada 9-1. The team will play again on Saturday in the elimination bracket

  • The 12-year-old division of the South Shore Little League faced a team from Nevada in Game 1 of the series on Thursday

Little leaguers from Staten Island gathered at a watch party to cheer on their friends playing in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

“It’s a great experience. Like, ‘Oh, they're going to have so much fun. They get a bunch of free stuff.’ And I think that if they just play their game, they might have a shot,” said Little League player Aj Eugenio.

Eugenio, who plays for South Shore’s 11-year-old division, said he hopes to make it to the World Series next year.

“I look up to them as my coach and they’re in Williamsport right now, and that’s always been my dream since I was a little kid,” Eugenio said.

This is the first time a team from Staten Island has reached the World Series since Mid-Island in 2018. The last time a city team won the Little League World Series was in 1964, when Mid-Island also took the title.

“It means a big thing for Staten Island. And they show how good the players could be and the coaching thing and how good the Staten Island Little League is,” said Little League player Andrew Ullo.

Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella attributed the team’s success to the strong connections among coaches and players.

“I think it stems from just the closeness of the coaches that they don’t forget. A lot of kids who play in Staten Island stay as coaches and managers and help the young kids. They start at the age of three or four years old. A lot of the kids that are playing on this team have been together since they were four years old playing together,” Fossella said.

Twenty teams, both from the U.S. and internationally, will compete in the series. Staten Islanders said that, win or lose, being a part of South Shore Little League is a proud moment.

“We haven’t won since like 19-something. And I would be so happy and [surprised] for us and I feel like it will be great for the team because they would feel like they saved Staten Island,” Eugenio said.

Staten Island lost to Nevada 9-1. The team will play again on Saturday in the elimination bracket.