What does it take to make some history in Little League baseball?
A village of dedicated volunteers, some supremely talented players and a little bit of elbow grease.
That’s the recipe that’s brought Little League in Boxford from something of an after thought to the being one of the last 16 teams in Massachusetts still alive for a spot in next month’s World Series. The town’s 12-year-old all-stars won the District 15 championship for the first time ever last week, and begin play in the Section 4 tournament in neighboring Andover on Wednesday night.
“None of this is possible without the many donations from people in town and beyond, in addition to the many board members and volunteers,” Boxford manager Paul DeLeo said. “Unfortunately, there are too many names to name, but the people know who has done the work and elevated the program.”
Historically, District 15 has been dominated by the likes of Danvers and Beverly, especially since Peabody was re-located to D16 about 15 years ago. This year’s unbeaten Boxford squad (7-0) was the first time a team broke through and won its first title in a dozen years.
As recently as three years ago, Boxford Little League didn’t even enter a team in the Williamsport competition. When DeLeo and his family (oldest son Paul, younger son Jake and wife Jess) took a trip to the Little League World Series after the pandemic in 2022, he found himself believing it was possible to change that.
“Along with our current president, Mike McKenzie, I discovered there were motivated people that wanted to move Boxford in a better direction,” DeLeo recalled, citing a well-attended meeting where they laid out a strategy centered around player development, summer tournaments and improved field conditions.
“The fields were so poor and that’s astronomically important because it was to me when I played Little League in East Boston,” he added. “Some of my best memories as a kid were playing Little League baseball, hitting my first home run at Noyes Park and winning a district title for East Boston National in 1988.”
The new Board of Directors attacked every issue, from new logos and uniforms to planning out player development. Participation in summer ball and fall ball after the traditional spring season started to rise, and the baseball vibe in town began to take off.
Vast improvements in the field conditions in town credited to volunteers like Paul Quigley and Yaro Taeger played a major role. Infields that were once overgrown and left unused are now among the best on the North Shore, especially at Keith Koster Park which was chosen to host a few District 15 playoff games in 2025 and ‘26.
“The park’s named after Keith Koster, who died tragically in a senseless act of violence in Danvers (in 2006). He was a Boxford Little Leaguer and our historic District 15 title is dedicated to him,” DeLeo said. “He’s a part of our story and his field is maintained with pride by a few dads in the program, who cut the grass and ensure the kids have an immaculate field they can be proud of.”
A Special Group
This year’s Boxford squad has largely been together for four years, enjoying success in town and beyond. It began with competitive summer tourneys like the Stan Brown and River Rival competitions in their younger years, and a number of the boys got experience in the Williamsport tourney with a Final Four appearance this summer.
It all came together over the past few weeks, with Boxford running the table in District 15 competition. Jake DeLeo has been the team’s ace pitcher and has hit several home runs, but don’t mistake this team for a one-man show.
Ben LaChance has given Boxford quite a few excellent innings, including a win against Beverly in the district semifinals. The deeper a team goes in the playoffs, the more arms they need and Henry Carrieri, Henry Pracht, Harry Stevens, Vincent Merullo and Bennett Taeger will all be ready if called upon.
Offensively, Pracht, Merullo, Stevens and LaChance can all drive the ball over the fence along with DeLeo.
Defense is also a strength with Pracht at the hot corner, DeLeo manning shortstop when he’s on the mound, Taeger at second, Carrieri at first and Stevens behind the plate. Merullo is the outfield quarterback in center while Brendan Foley thrives in the corner outfield spots. Rhett Barnes, Graham McKenzie and Jackson Surface all contribute and Cam Kalviatis is on the squad but out with an injury.
“This core group has bought into our system and enjoyed a lot of success. They’ve built on those past successes and it all culminated in the District title,” said DeLeo, who is assisted by Chris Merullo, Ralph Carrieri and Ryan Barnes.
Four solid teams in Section 4
This year’s Section 4 playoffs will follow a modified double-elimination format rather than the pool play format used in the last several years. Boxford drew District 13 champ Billerica for Wednesday’s opener at 7 p.m. under the lights at Deyermond Field in Andover. Unbeaten District 16 champ Lynnfield and unbeaten Stoneham out of D13 will play each other in the prior contest at 5 p.m.
The winners will play each other on Thursday looking to advance to Saturday’s winner-take-all final, while the losers will battle it out needing to stay alive and win again on Friday to advance.
“It’s more challenging than the district tournament because it is potentially four games in a four day stretch or if you’re lucky, three games in a four day stretch, to win the title,” DeLeo said. “Either way, you need to manage your pitching and there is very little time for rest and recovery. Fortunately, we do have some experienced pitching depth so as long as we take care of the baseball on the defensive side, we should be very competitive.”
The common theme for all four teams is strong pitching and solid defense. Having a plan and finding ways to execute that plan are important at this stage, DeLeo says, and putting the best foot forward is the goal for the Boxford kids.
There’s also a distinct familiarity with the D16 champs from Lynnfield since some of the kids play together and the coaches know each other. Getting to play each other at some point would be a cool memory and experience for both towns, DeLeo added.
The winner of the Section 4 tourney advances to the Massachusetts Final Four, which will be held in Holden the following week; the state champion heads to Bristol, Connecticut to compete for the New England Regional crown and a berth in the Little League World Series.
District 15 hasn’t won a sectional title since 2018, but won three straight and four out of five during a span running from 2014-18. None of the four squads involved this year have won a Section 4 title in recent history, all but guaranteeing there will be a first-time champion crowned on Saturday.