East Hanover Little League: Get to know the players
Joe Cheringal, along with fellow coaches Andy Rossi and Alan Elwood, knew they had something special when they assembled the East Hanover/Florham Park Little League 12-year old team this past spring.
Cheringal, who has spent the last eight seasons coaching baseball in town, has fielded some competitive and talented teams over the years, but the 49-year old manager realized there was something different about this summer’s dozen.
“There was a lot of talented players to choose from, but Little League allows for just 12 players on a roster,” said Cheringal, who is also the vice president of the East Hanover/Florham Park Little League. “Around 10 of the 12 kids have played together for quite a few years. But still, you don’t really know what a team is all about until you get all the kids on the field and see how they mesh and play together. We were pretty confident we had a team that was going to compete and win games.”
Last Sunday, East Hanover/Florham Park captured its first-ever New Jersey Little League state title by stunning state power Holbrook (Jackson) in consecutive games. East Hanover is just the seventh Morris County team to capture a Little League state title since the tournament was first held in 1957, and the first since Parsippany-Troy East won it all in 2012.
Next stop for the East Hanover 12s is the Metro Region Tournament in Bristol, Connecticut, which starts this weekend.
The winner of the tournament goes to the Little League World Series.
Here’s what you need to know about each player:
No. 00: Liam Wood
Position: Pitcher, first baseman, outfielder
Bats: Left | Throws: Left
Favorite hobby: Sports
Favorite MLB player: Babe Ruth
No. 3: Chike Orjiekwe
Position: Outfielder
Bats: Right | Throws: Right Favorite hobby: Sports Favorite MLB player: Juan Soto
No. 5: Braden Edelle
Position: Pitcher, third baseman, outfielder
Bats: Right | Throws: Right Favorite hobby: Baseball
Favorite MLB player: Aaron Judge
No. 7: Dante Elwood
Position: First baseman, second baseman, third baseman
Bats: Right | Throws: Right Favorite hobby: Baseball
Favorite MLB player: Giancarlo Stanton
No. 11: Anthony Abrantes
Position: Pitcher, First Baseman, third baseman
Bats: Right | Throws: Right Favorite hobby: Baseball
Favorite MLB player: Bryce Harper
No. 16: Ryan Cheringal
Position: Pitcher, catcher, third baseman
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Favorite hobby: Sports
Favorite MLB player: Aaron Judge
No. 17: AJ Rossi
Position: Pitcher, first baseman Bats: Right | Throws: Left
Favorite hobby: Baseball
Favorite MLB player: Shohei Ohtani
No. 18: Anthony Sansonetti
Position: Outfielder
Bats: Right | Throws: Right Favorite hobby: Baseball Favorite MLB player: Aaron Judge
No. 24: RJ Gossweiler
Position: Pitcher, second baseman, third baseman
Bats: Right | Throws: Right Favorite hobby: Baseball
Favorite MLB player: Ken Griffey, Jr.
No. 25: Tyler Ciasullo
Position: Pitcher, shortstop Bats: Left | Throws: Right Favorite hobby: Baseball Favorite MLB player: Derek Jeter
No. 27: Charlie Dorst
Position: Catcher, first baseman Bats: Right | Throws: Right Favorite hobby: Playing sports Favorite MLB player: Aaron Judge
No. 28: Paul Carsillo
Position: Pitcher, second baseman, third baseman
Bats: Right | Throws: Right Favorite hobby: Baseball
Favorite MLB player: Cody Bellinger
Manager: Joe Cheringal
Coach: Andy Rossi
Coach: Alan Elwood