The Lancers knocked off the Vikings by a score of 15-10 to secure the 2024 Palo Alto Little League Pumpkin Classic championship. The Pumpkin Classic is a one-day tournament that closes PALL’s Fall Ball season, and the four tournament teams are managed and coached by former PALL players who are now students local high schools.

Players from the Fall Ball Cactus League, which is comprised of 10-, 11-, and 12-year-olds, are randomly assigned to teams with the goal of making this a competitive, yet fun, event—with Halloween candy distributed liberally throughout the day.

Further making the day all about the kids, the coaching staffs are all baseball players at either Palo Alto or Gunn High School. Some, in fact, have already committed to play for their college teams.

Gunn’s Jonah Weinstein managed the Lancers in their victory over the Kanghee Cho-led Vikings. Other coaches included Sam Bogart, Seve Nohn, and Sahil Saksena from Gunn and Henry Harding, Andrew Kassel, Jonathan Nguyen, and Cormac White from Palo Alto High. In addition to serving as role models for the Little Leaguers, their coaching and mentoring of the young players provide a great public service to the community.

The coaches pictured from left to right are Jonah Weinstein, Seve Noh, Sam Bogart, Andrew Kassel, Kanghee Cho, Henry Harding, Cormac White, and Jonathan Nguyen.