President Nick Sguigna of the Island Trees Baseball League would like to congratulate the Island Trees 11-Year-Old All-Star Team on winning the Metro NY State Championship, a feat that only they were able to accomplish two years ago for Island Trees.

Sguigna would like to commend Manager Mike Pellegrino and his three coaches, Tom O'Reilly, Ed Schulman and Ed Nabet for all their hard work and dedication. "This team has a complete balance of hitting, pitching and fine defensive skills that you rarely find in a team so young," said Sguigna. The captain and leader of the Bulldogs, Eric O'Reilly, better known as "Mad Dog," and whose clutch hitting and awesome pitching led the way for two come-from-behind victories against Ozone Howard beach, said, "This team rises to another level when the competition is strong."

The Bulldogs defeated former champions Ozone Howard Beach two times en route to a 4-0 record in the state tournament, and now will travel to south Jersey to play in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament to face teams from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey.

"Congratulations and good luck to all the players of Island Trees in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament," concluded Sguigna. "I'm proud of each and every one of you."