Manager Brian Chiala couldn’t have asked for a better group of players or assistant coaches to work with on this year’s Los Gatos Little League 9U All Star team.
The affable Chiala has coached all age divisions from Little League to Pony to the high school level, and he’s thoroughly enjoying his time with the 9U team that earned a berth in the District 12 championship game opposite Lincoln Glen at 5:30pm Monday at Willow Glen Little League Field. Los Gatos advanced to the title game with a resounding 15-7 win over Willow Glen on June 23.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to hang a banner in Los Gatos,” Chiala said. “It’s been good memories for these kids either way.”
Chiala admitted he was nervous throughout the day leading up to the semifinal knockout game. The team went a perfect 4-0 in North Pool play to reach the semis, beating San Jose American 5-4, Quito-Saratoga 18-9, Branham Hills 12-11 and Union, 9-8.
Three one-run victories out of four pool contests showed Los Gatos to be a team of grit and determination. The roster includes Oliver Chang, Jeremy Chiala, Daiden Christian, Mickey Denevi, Josh Granum, Grant Howard, Brody Kellenberger, Barrett Laubach, Charlie Nielsen, Tommy Rabitz, Logan Williams and Zachary Youkilis.
Assistant coaches include Russell Laubach, Kevin Youkilis and Justin Christian, the latter two being former MLB players. Clearly comfortable in his role, Chiala welcomed Youkilis and Christian and one of his best friends Laubach on staff.
“A lot of people get a chuckle out of it when they see Kevin’s name on the lineup as one of the coaches, and they’ll say, ‘And you’re the manager?’” Chiala said, smiling. “Hey, you’ve got to say something about being old and experienced I guess.”
Youkilis played on World Series-winning teams with the Boston Red Sox and Christian spent three years in the big leagues, the last two with the San Francisco Giants in 2011-2012. Christian is a homegrown local product, attending Borel Middle School and Aragon High in San Mateo before starting his college baseball career at Skyline College in San Bruno.
He’s currently a Santa Clara County Deputy Sheriff.
“It’s been great having Justin around and Kevin has been a huge contributor,” Chiala said. “He’s been so good with the kids throwing BP (batting practice) everyday getting them ready to play this game.”
Kevin’s son, Zachary, pitched the final three innings against Willow Glen, allowing no runs with six strikeouts.
“Zach threw great,” Chiala said. “He’s been the captain for us all year and people really rally around him. He just wanted the ball and did a great job with it. That was the best outing I’ve seen from an individual this year from any kid I’ve watched.”
As is often the case for Little League All Star teams—especially in the youngest age division—the entire 12-player roster contributes. Los Gatos is no exception, and that’s what makes Chiala proud.
“I’m very proud of the kids,” he said. “They all get along, they look after each other, help each other and really push each other to improve. I rotate the lineup a lot, so whoever I have at shortstop or second base or any position, anybody fills that spot and can come up with the big hit on any given day. That’s what makes them so special.”
Daiden Christian made a terrific defensive play in the hole at shortstop, smoothly backhanding a grounder before throwing to first base for the second out in the top of the third inning. Youkilis made a nice defensive play in the fourth, and Barrett Laubach had a bases-clearing triple to account for the final margin.
Los Gatos put up the maximum five runs in one inning in three separate innings: the first, third and fourth frames. Rabitz stroked a two-run single to cap the pivotal third inning, which saw Los Gatos take a 10-7 lead after Willow Glen had gone up 7-5 in the top half.
However, Youkilis was lights-out on the mound and the offense had one final uprising in the fourth to make it a runaway win. Because of pitch counts and the jam-packed schedule, managers need to have pitching depth for a team to make a deep run in the postseason. Before utilizing Youkilis, Chiala had Laubach, Rabitz and Granum take the mound.
“That’s another nice thing is that we have a lot of arms in the arm barn, so if someone doesn’t have it one day, their teammate will come right in and get it done,” Chiala said.
More than the victories—though winning certainly adds to the fun—Chiala appreciates the passion and support of youth sports in Los Gatos. Chiala coached Russell Laubach when Chiala served as the Los Gatos High junior varsity baseball coach and then as an assistant varsity coach in 2000-2004. The two later played softball together as well. “We’ve been together a long time, and that’s what’s beautiful about this town,” Chiala said.
“It’s such a small nest you end up going full circle with a lot of people. That’s why a lot of guys like Justin, Kevin and other families like to move in for that particular reason. These kids will go to elementary together, junior high and high school together. They really stick together for a long time and are able to build up a huge rapport. That is one of the unique things we have in this area.”
Sports editor Emanuel Lee can be reached at el**@we*****.com
