The Coast News Group
The Encinitas City Council agrees unanimously to honor the Encinitas Little League All-Star team in a number of ways, including opening this year’s holiday parade. The team made it to the semifinals of the West Regional Tournament. Courtesy photo
The Encinitas City Council agrees unanimously to honor the Encinitas Little League All-Star team in a number of ways, including opening this year’s holiday parade. The team made it to the semifinals of the West Regional Tournament. Courtesy photo
Sports

How to honor the Encinitas Little League team? Council counts the ways

ENCINITAS — The Encinitas City Council was posed with a question: How should it honor the Encinitas Little League All Star Team after its deep run in the Little League World Series regional tournament?

City staff posed several options: Acknowledge them at a city council meeting, honor them at the city’s grand opening of the Encinitas Community Park, invite them to open the 2014 holiday parade or feature them on the city’s Facebook Page.

The Council’s response: Let’s do them all, plus one.

“All four of the suggestions sound good, so let’s do all four of the items,” Councilman Mark Muir said.

The Council unanimously voted to honor the team, which made it all the way to the semifinal round of the West Regional Tournament of the World Series, using each method, but also asked staff to coordinate a potential celebration at the team’s ball fields at the Ecke Sports Park in lieu of doing it at the community park grand opening, depending on the league’s preference.

Council members expressed a desire to honor the team sooner than later, as the community park isn’t scheduled to be opened until later this year at the earliest.

Calls to Little League President Todd Sleet were not returned at the time of publication.

The Encinitas Little League All-Star team lost to the Nevada Little League All Star team 5-1 in the penultimate regional game, the deepest run in the Encinitas league’s 57-year history. The team captured the attention of the entire region, which has had its share of success in youth baseball’s marquee tournament.

Most recently, the Chula Vista Little League All-Star team won the World Series title in 2009.