Port Washington Little League ready for shot at state baseball title
Port Washington Little League players celebrate after defeating Twin Town in the New York state semifinals on Wednesday at the West Nyack Little League complex. Credit: Howard Simmons
The Port Washington 12U Little League baseball team advanced through the district and sectional tournaments. Now they will be playing for something even bigger.
Port Washington will face Mid Island (Staten Island) for the state title at 8 p.m. on Friday at Cesca Field in West Nyack.
The team dropped only one game in the three-game pool play round before beating Twin Town, 6-1, in the semifinals on Wednesday night. Manager Dave Gabriel said the community support he and his team have been feeling throughout the tournament has been unparalleled.
“The team is so pumped up right now,” Gabriel said. “We're super excited and we had a lot of people in the stands (Wednesday) with family and friends coming up from Port Washington. It's really great for our town, for the community, for our league organization. Everybody is just so excited.”
A victory on Friday would make Port Washington New York’s representative in the Metro Region tournament scheduled to begin Aug. 8 in Bristol, Connecticut. The regional winner then advances to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Port Washington and Mid Island are each 3-1 heading into the state title game. Mid Island is a strong defensive team that has allowed only 10 runs throughout the week, but Gabriel said his team is up to the challenge.
“Throughout this entire run, we have been preparing for a lot of fast pitching,” Gabriel said. “We've been practicing a lot of off-speed pitching with our guys. It’s a combination of all the time and work that we put into it with these boys, and it’s all paying off now.”
And Port Washington has a strong defense of its own. The team consistently comes up with big outs, including athletic double plays, when they matter most. Shortstop Brandon Kien, catcher Michael Gabriel and pitcher Drew Theoharis have highlighted Port Washington’s defense.
Gabriel said his team’s ability to make big defensive plays has propelled them in the right direction.
“This whole tournament is pitching and defense,” Gabriel said. “The reason we are where we are is because we can keep our pitch counts low when we’re making plays on the mound. When we’re coming up with these defensive plays, these double plays, it just kills the other team's momentum and swings it in our favor. It's a huge plus to have such a great defense.”
Theoharis had five strikeouts in Port Washington’s semifinal win. Though he won’t take the mound on Friday because of pitch count limits, Theoharis said the opportunity to represent his town at the state level has been unforgettable. Theoharis also homered earlier in the week against Maine-Endwell.
“Repping Port Washington means everything to me and my teammates,” Theoharis said. “There were eight teams chasing the chance to represent New York this week and we can’t wait to play for that in the championship.”
Looking toward Port Washington’s biggest game so far, Gabriel said his team is prepared for the challenge.
“All the teams in this tournament were really, really good,” Gabriel said. “Looking at Mid Island, they're a great team too, but we’re hitting well and we look forward to playing them in the championship game.”
Tess Ferguson is a reporter on Newsday's high school sports staff. She joined the team after graduating with a journalism degree from Ithaca College in 2025.
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