Girdwood Giants celebrate sucessful season with winning record and playoff victory

By Coach Kyle Kelley

TNews Contributor

The Girdwood Giants Little League Majors Baseball team wrapped up their season in thrilling fashion, securing a winning record and notching an impressive playoff victory. This marked one of their best seasons in recent years. Girdwood is part of the Abbott-O-Rabbit little league and plays teams from around Anchorage.

Under the guidance of Head Coaches Chris Stinson and Kyle Kelley, the Giants showcased exceptional skill and determination throughout the season. With a final record of 8-5, the team demonstrated significant growth and teamwork, surpassing expectations and setting a new standard for future Girdwood Little League teams.

"The level of focus on the field seems to have skyrocketed this season," said Coach Chris. “Our defense is backing up our strong bullpen, which seems to be the recipe for success. Going from one regular season win over the last three seasons combined to a winning record is no small feat. I am beyond impressed with this year’s team.

The Giants started with the Angels in a nail-biter game in the city-wide playoff tournament. The game remained tied until the third inning when the Giants bats got going, and they put up five runs over the next two innings. The Giants had to hold off a rally by the Angles in the final inning, with their defense ultimately securing a 13-9 victory. The Giants were eliminated from the tournament with defeat from the #1 seed A’s to wrap up a very successful season.

"It is amazing to watch this team when our bats start to come alive," Coach Chris remarked. "Everyone was cheering their teammates on in the dugout. The energy and excitement were palpable. Defeating the Angles in back-to-back games, after suffering a big loss to them earlier, was a great way to cap off this season."

The Girdwood Giants listen to coach guidance basking in the sun of Girdwood valley. (Courtesy Photo)

Parents and community members have also been vital to the Giants' success. Their support has been unwavering, from organizing fundraisers to cheering in the stands. The support from community members and local businesses helped prepare the Sladen Mohl Memorial Field at the beginning of and throughout the season.  Big Thanks to Jessica Fitzwater for volunteering to organize and manage the Girdwood snack shack, which provides critical in-season fundraising for the Girdwood Teams. Plus, it provides great food to all our fans and visiting teams from Anchorage.

"The Girdwood Giants Snack Shack was definitely the hotspot for dinner this baseball season!" said team mom Jessica Fitzwater. "With amazing parent support on grill and our stellar shack crew, headed up by Harper Landry and Logan Wedeking; we were able to fulfill all your snacking wishes and definitely served up the best burgers and dogs in town each night during our home games! This iconic conex would never be able to run and support ALL 3 of our Giants teams without parents, students from Girdwood School, and the community making it happen. Thanks for another great season Gwoood!”

As the season concludes, the Girdwood Giants Majors would like to recognize the players aging out of the Girdwood Little League. These players have put in many seasons of dedication and hard work to learn the sport and what it means to be a good teammate. Thank you to Conrad Sieling, Paxon Derks, Arthur Fell, and Issac Gates for being Girdwood Giants.

We are already looking forward to next year. With many returning players and a solid foundation of skills and teamwork, the future looks bright for this enthusiastic group of young athletes. Girdwood also had two minor teams and a coach-pitch team that did very well this season. The enthusiasm for baseball is very much alive in Girdwood.

"The depth of players in our community has created an opportunity for Girdwood to finally step up and become a serious contender in the AOR Majors League," Coach Chris added. "We have already set our sights on making it to the City Wide Championship game next year with this team. Our players understand that the work to get us there will all take place over the winter and spring.”

For now, the Girdwood Giants will celebrate their successful season and enjoy a well-deserved break, basking in the glory of a well-done job and memories that will last a lifetime.