Written by Jed Bell
The Milford Little League 10u All-Stars will be heading to Great Kills Little League in Staten Island, New York for the 2026 Eastern Regional Tournament after winning the Delaware State Championship for the first time in Milford’s Little League History.
Milford dropped its first game of the double elimination District 1 tournament to MOT, facing off elimination in the 5 consecutive games that followed. Victories over Smyrna, Felton, and Camden-Wyoming lead Milford to the tall task of having to defeat MOT twice, a feat which they accomplished.
From District play, Milford headed to Canal Little League where they defeated Laurel and Newark American, sending them to the championship. Laurel defeated Milford in the first game on a walk-off single, but the 10u All-Star squad bounced back with an 8-4 victory in the winner take all finale.
At Great Kills Little League, Milford will play three pool play games against surrounding state champions to determine seeding before moving into a single elimination tournament on Tuesday.
The team is managed by Jed Bell, with Justin Zook and Katie Kenton serving as his assistant coaches.
“I am extremely proud of this resilient group of girls. To lose the first game of districts and bounce back says a lot about the mental toughness of this group of girls. To lose the first game of a championship series and bounce back says even more.”
“The team has seen contributions from all players on the roster, which is very rewarding as a coach. It’s All-Stars, so girls have been asked to play positions they didn’t necessarily play during the regular season, and not one girl has batted an eye. They are all willing to do what they are asked, and willing to do what is best for the team. In my opinion, developing that type of mindset at this age level is very critical.”
“It’s 10u. The reality is some of these girls may not play softball in 3-4 years. Some of these girls will develop and become much different versions of the players that they currently are. Regardless of their future with the sport, this will be a special experience they remember for a long time. There’s a good chance the memories of our 9 and 10 year old girls will revolve around staying up past their normal bed time in a hotel room, seeing the Statue of Liberty, or visiting New York City. In my opinion, that’s what it’s really about. Do we want to win the regional? Sure. Is it still a successful outcome if we don’t? Sure. I am very appreciative of our team’s supportive parents involved who understand that concept.”
“The Milford community, as expected, has been awesome supporting these girls and their families. Milford Grotto’s covered our celebratory pizza Sunday night when back into town. We had less than a week to raise money for regional travel, but through the support of Milford Little League and area businesses and donors, we were able to get each family’s hotel room basically covered for a total of 4 nights in Staten Island. Families should now only have to come out of pocket for meals and travel. That says a lot about the Milford community.”
