Pearland savors whirlwind send-off
Amid a dizzying whirlwind of phone calls, texts, backslaps, and high-fives, Aaron Cummings is absorbing his 15 minutes of fame.
And the Pearland Little League coach would be agreeable if that celebrity status remained intact for the rest of August.
Prior to his squad’s fundraising event at Killen’s Barbecue and sendoff party at The Rig (Pearland Stadium) on Thursday, Cummings reflected on a mixed bag of events that helped send Pearland to the Little League World Series, which runs Aug. 1728 in Williamsport, Pa.
Cummings didn’t hesitate when asked about the most vivid moments from the Southwest Region tournament in Waco, where Pearland won four consecutive games to improve its playoff record this summer to 13-0.
“It has to be the comeback against Mississippi, for sure,” Cummings said.
“Of course, there was the big viral moment —the hug on the mound — which nobody will ever forget. From a human interest and sportsmanship aspect, that’s No. 1.
“From a baseball moment, it was the Mississippi game. In the other games, we had control most of the time, but against Mississippi, we went into the fifth inning down three runs. That was the first time we had trailed all summer. It was a good test for our guys to be down and be under some pressure for a change.”
After being 4-1 in its second game of the tournament, Pearland tied it at 4 in the fifth and scored twice in the sixth for a 6-4 triumph.
Four days later, Tulsa (Okla.) National player Isaiah Jarvis’ hug of Pearland pitcher Kaiden Shelton was the national social media event of the day in the championship game.
Jarvis, who had been hit by a Shelton pitch and lay on the ground momentarily, witnessed Shelton being overtaken by his emotions.
Tears began flowing from Shelton until Jarvis, who quickly recovered from the plunking, walked from first base to the mound to quickly comfort the Pearland pitcher. That engagement was captured on video and quickly flooded Twitter and numerous other sites.
Also finding its place in Cummings’ memory bank was Pearland’s 19-0 win over Abilene Wylie in the semifinals.
“That was a team that went to Williamsport last year, and they have kids like Myles McCarty that are really elite players,” Cummings said. “That was our biggest margin of victory against what I still believe is the best or secondbest team we’ve played in the entire run.”
That resounding triumph came not long after the victory over Mississippi.
“That Mississippi game got our boys’ attention,” Cummings said. "We keep telling them that anybody can beat you any day, and that became real with the Mississippi game. Being able to rally against them, I think that propelled us the next two games. That Mississippi game told our guys that everybody is gunning for you. You’d better bring you’re ‘A’ game.”
In the win over Abilene Wylie, Pearland used a 14run inning to stun the squad from West Texas.
“We had such a good batting practice the day before on our off day, and we had a good practice the morning of,” Cummings said. “We just looked locked in, and the swings were really good. We just had a feeling we were going to hit.
“I mean, we always have a feeling we’re going to hit, but I’ve never seen anything like that. Even our outs were just smoked. That was a game we had been building to the whole summer.”
The 9-4 victory over Tulsa National in the championship game certainly wasn't an afterthought.
Pearland trailed 4-3 after the first inning, but the local all-stars dominated from that point forward.
Cummings hasn't had a chance to recover from the tournament because not long after securing the title, preparations began immediately for the journey to Williamsport. The team was to fly to Newark, N.J., on Friday morning, then bus to Williamsport from there.
“That’s something I’m really looking forward to,” Cummings said. “I’ve kind of heard that the initial arrival and seeing the complex, the field, and the hill in center field are something. I’ve heard that’s one of the best parts of the whole trip.”
Pearland will play Aug. 18 against the Mid-Atlantic Champion, which will be Delaware or the winner between Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
“We’ll definitely be watching the mid-Atlantic closely,” Cummings said. “We will play a team that’s very close to Williamsport, so that will be a huge challenge. Whoever ultimately wins, we need to be ready for them. We’ll not show up unprepared, and they won’t either.
“Our regional was fun because you get to play teams from six other states. Now, we’ll get to play them from everywhere. That’s fun. We’re looking forward to soaking in the experience.”