The 1958 South Utica Little League All Star team, managed by Jack Barkett and coached by John Ronchetto and Frank Borden, went 11-1 in the single-elimination tournament format.  The team, affectionately known as the “Cinderella All Stars,” lost their last game to the Darien, Connecticut All Stars led by future Major League Baseball pitcher Joe LaHoud in the Northeast Regionals. 

The team, managed by Jack Barkett and coached by John Ronchetto and Frank Boden, consisted of Barry Donalty, Gary Stevens, Jim Fluty, Don McCabe, Tony Karrat, Jack Faniglula, John Covel, Mike Sweeney, Tom Petronio, Johnny White, Rich Joseph, Bob Hollenbeck, Bill Dehnert, Joe Hopkins, Dick Benz, and Bob Byrd.

The United States was split into four regions at the time.  The winners out of each of the regions would appear in the Little League World Series.  These 11-12 year old boys were able to rattle off eleven straight victories before their bats were silenced in the Regionals against Darien.  Notably, the team’s eleventh consecutive win was against a much better New Hampshire team than the Connecticut team they lost to.  Rich Joseph led the team to a 5-1 win against the team from New Hampshire. 

“Rich Joseph was by far our best pitcher,” said team member Barry Donalty.  “He pitched a no-hitter in the New York State Championship game that allowed us to move on to the Regionals.  Unfortunately we weren’t able to get our bats going against Connecticut to be able to move past our win against New Hampshire.”

The South Utica All Stars accomplished what no other team has done since by making it to and capturing the New York State Little League Championship Title in a single-elimination format.  (Today, most states utilize a double-elimination format.)  The team won a remarkable 11 straight games, and lost the final game they appeared in 8-0.  The team that actually won the Series that year, a team out of Monterrey, Mexico, only won 8 games, three less than the boys from Utica!

After the Series, New York State Governor Averill Harriman invited the entire team down to the 1958 World Series at Yankees Stadium.  The team was flown down to New York City, most experiencing their first-ever plane trip, and were treated to the game as guests of the Governor.  According to Donalty, “If I recall correctly, we were able to see Whitey Ford take on Sandy Koufax!”

While Darien’s LaHoud made it to the Major Leagues and the Mexicans captured the Little League World Series title, the team from Utica is the only one who has the ability to say they are, in fact, Hall of Famers!