Mercer Island Little Leaguers ride hot streak all the way to Williamsport

Like any good coach, Steve Stenberg is always trying to find new techniques to benefit his players. So when Mercer Island's Little League manager heard about teams using oven mitts to improve their defense, he filed it away.

He knew one day he would find the right team at the perfect age.

"When it comes to defense I am a fanatic about soft hands, soft feet and fielding the ball with both hands," he said.

As he assembled his All-Star team of 11- and 12-year-olds this year, he brought in players who could get it done at the plate, and he decided his version of an Ove Glove would be an ideal way to improve their defense.

This well-rounded club — with the help of a few fortuitous bounces, big innings and clutch hits — is in Williamsport, Pa., for the 63rd Little League World Series.

Mercer Island is the eighth team from Washington to play in the World Series — Mill Creek made it last year — and the team opens the tournament at 10 a.m. PDT Friday against the club from Staten Island, N.Y., at Volunteer Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN.

"It's fun," said Brandon Lawler of the extended road trip that began when the team left for San Bernardino, Calif., and the Northwest regional tournament Aug. 5. "It feels really weird, though, because the past few years I've been watching the Little League World Series on TV, and now I'm going to be in the Little League World Series and people are going to be watching me."

And it all started with some old photos and the oven mitts.

After the players were selected for the team in June, Stenberg brought out a stack of old photos with players using gloves that were little more than scraps of leather. Then, while shopping in Bellevue, Stenberg came across a silver oversized oven mitt. There were only 11 in stock, one for each player on the roster.

"I've never heard of people using it before," said outfielder Nick Taylor, who Stenberg said is crucial to the team's chemistry. "I have to admit that first day at practice I was kind of like, 'This is awkward.' And then, after a while, I got used to it and it got really fun, actually."

The team set one goal early in the season: Win the district tournament. After that everything would be "bonus baseball." Now, after a run of three straight one-run games in the state tournament (two went extra innings), a stretch of five consecutive contests decided by the mercy rule and a come-from-behind win in the regional championship, this bonus portion of the season continues to be memorable for the young program.

Four years ago, Brian Emanuels had a vision. As a member of the Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club board of directors, he saw an opportunity to keep kids playing baseball on the island. With the help of some passionate parents they took Mercer Island's old youth baseball program and moved it to Little League.

"There was a huge amount of enthusiasm for baseball, a lot of people who were excited about baseball and really into it, but we weren't all on the same page," said Emanuels, whose son, David, is on the team. "We got a group of the more enthusiastic parents together and tried to come up with a strategy that we could all get behind."

They pondered the possibility of one day watching their children in Williamsport. Now that the idea has blossomed, people are scheduling viewing parties and setting up events for the players' return.