Former Little League Baseball World Series Player Returns to Williamsport to Play Professional Ball

By John Beauge
For The Harrisburg Patriot-News

WILLIAMSPORT (June 21, 2007) - The first thing that caught the eye of Adam Sorgi when he got off the plane at the Williamsport Regional Airport Monday night was a home of Little League Baseball banner.

"It was almost a surreal moment," said Sorgi, who 10 years ago helped lead Mission Viejo, Calif., into the championship game of the Little League World Series.
Baseball has brought the 22-year-old infielder back to Williamsport, this time for his first professional game. He is the first series participant to play professionally for Williamsport.

 

Sorgi was selected in the 21st round of the recent amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, who assigned him to the Crosscutters in the short-season New York-Penn League.

"It's a comforting feeling to be back where I played before," he said.

Sorgi was late in arriving because he stayed at Stanford to graduate Sunday with a bachelor's degree in communications.

The infielder, who bats left and throws right, had his physical yesterday and expects to be on the active roster tonight when State College visits Bowman Field to resume Tuesday's game, which was suspended by rain in the second inning with the Crosscutters leading 2-0. A second game will follow.

Sorgi, who batted .375 at Stanford, describes himself as a contact hitter.

"I'll hit doubles every now and then," he said. "I can pop a few out but I'm just trying to get on base. I'll work the count a lot.

A college teammate, outfielder Michael Taylor, is also with the Cutters.

"It's great having him here," Sorgi said. "He's a good friend of mine."

Sorgi no longer pitches as he did in the Little League World Series. "I'm not giving up any more home runs," he said with a laugh.

He was referring to the championship game in 1997 against Mexico. Manager Jim Gattis moved Sorgi from short to the mound with two on in the sixth with Mission Viejo leading 4-1.

He faced only two batters. The first hit a home run to tie the game and the second walked. He later scored the winning running making Sorgi the losing pitcher.
Sorgi recalls crying in the dugout in Lamade Stadium after the game.

"It was tough when I was 12," he said.

"Looking back on it, it was a great experience. Obviously, having such tough luck at a young age taught me a lot of things."

The series is a "sweet memory" now because "the bitterness of the loss has worn off," Sorgi said.

At his first opportunity, he said he plans to visit the Little League complex in South Williamsport.

Since he played there, a second field has been added and other improvements made.

- reprinted with permission of the Harrisburg, (Pa.) Patriot-News

 

Adam Sorgi, pictured first on the left in the front row, participated in the 1997 Little League Baseball World Series representing the West Region champions from South Mission Viejo (Calif.) Little League. That year, South Mission Viejo Little League won the United States championship, but lost the World Series championship game, 5-4, to Linda Vista Little League from Guadalupe, Mexico. Mr. Sorgi, a graduate of Stanford University, was the losing pitcher in that game. In the 2007 amateur baseball draft, Mr. Sorgi was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies and assigned to the organization’s single A short-season affiliate Williamsport Crosscutters of the New York-Penn League. He is believed to be the first Little League Baseball World Series participant to play professional baseball for a team based in Williamsport.