- June 30, 2026
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Winter Garden Little League’s 10U All-Star team’s Colton Bergdahl, Tanner Flanigan, Levi Ledford and Jace Watkins unanimously agreed “playing for the name on our chest and playing for Winter Garden” is what set them apart from the competition.
That — and great defense and pitching.
Those traits combined allowed the team to become the first WGLL 10U team to advance past sectionals and onto states. It also is the first WGLL team to go to states in eight years since the 11U team in 2018.
“We’re all kind of in awe,” Team Manager Kyle Flanigan said. “We are super happy and so excited for these boys. It’s an amazing feeling and experience that we have all had.”
The team’s journey began by winning the District 14 Championship 5-0. Then in sectionals, the team with the best record advanced. The pressure was on. Of WGLL’s around 672 players in the league, the 12 players on the 10U team were the last men standing.
WGLL won its first game, 17-2, Friday, June 26. In the next game, 9-year-old Owen Devito pitched a perfect game in 33 pitches with no hits, no walks and nine batters up with nine batters down — the first perfect game in WGLL history — and won 21-0.
The final game came Sunday, June 28. In the first inning, WGLL went up 4-2, and the players kept the pressure on to close out Sectionals 3-0.
The team’s last game was played in 100-plus-degree weather. The players beat the heat with cooling towels and plenty of water — helping their fellow teammates out whenever possible. In that moment, it became more than just baseball — it became a showcase of camaraderie.
Flanigan said it was an amazing sight to see the players continue to fight together.
Flanigan has coached for 11 years at WGLL. As the league’s longest-tenured coach, he has worked with seven All-Star teams in six years. Last year, he coached the Tournament of Champions team, which won all four games and set a TOC Little League record by run ruling three out of four games, scoring a total of 63 runs in four games and only giving up seven.
Needless to say — Flanigan understands what it takes.
After drafting regular-season teams, the managers from every team in the age groups gathered, created an “All-Star watch list” and wrote attributes of the players such as attitude, hard work and ethics, rather than statistics. They even took note of parents’ characteristics. The monitoring continued all throughout the season. Flanigan and his assistant coaches sat down, looked over the list of 20 players and narrowed it to 12, which isn’t easy to do — especially for their ages.
They picked their roster because all 12 are the first ones to say they’re playing the game for the league on the front of their jersey, not the last name on the back of it. Flanigan said it’s a “beautiful” trait to see, especially at this age group.
At midnight May 15, which is when they can announce the All-Star team’s rosters, Flanigan and the staff drove around and placed yard signs in the players’ front yards to surprise the boys when they woke up.
The players said as soon as they walked out and saw the signs, they were ready for a summer filled with baseball.
“We believe that culture of being a good teammate over a great ballplayer, because if you’re a good teammate and you can put your arm around somebody and say, ‘Hey, you’re OK, you’re moment’s going to come and we believe in you,’ they go out on the field and they play harder for you,” Flanigan said.
The team does exactly that.
If someone is down, the players said they instantly put their arms around one another and remind one another they’re playing a great game. They also celebrate the accomplishments.
Every time someone hits a home run, the others run to the end of home plate. When batter jumps on the plate, they all fall down before getting back up to give their teammate hugs, cheers and encouraging pats on the helmet. It’s a tradition they’ve done with other teams over the years and carried over to the All-Star group.
Each player has his own celebration when they get on base. Oliver Wynne makes the sign for “more.” Then they turn toward the dugout, and all of their teammates replicate the celebration.
Their camaraderie stems not only from playing together for the last few years but also the summer of activities parents and coaches have organized for them.
Gatherings have included swim nights, post-practice pizza parties on the fields and outdoor movie nights where a sheet served as a screen for “The Sandlot” while the players watched from the pool. The players’ favorite activities are the fishing outings. One dad even purchased matching cleats for all the players to complement their gloves.
Flanigan said all of it has been a blessing.
“We feel as a coaching staff really strong about our team,” he said. “Our boys have such a fight for (one another) and love for (one another) that there’s no quit in these kids.”
As they begin states Friday, July 17, in St. Augustine, they will be fighting to win and set off to regionals in North Carolina for more than just one another or WGLL but for the chance to see their old teammate. Flanigan said 11 of his 12 players have a friend who just moved to North Carolina, and they’re driven to go there to see him again.
