Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores is led by 6’3” Chad Lorkowski who has been a dominant pitcher this season. He has been nicknamed ‘Swag Daddy’ by his teammates. He also weighs in at 219 pounds, which is big even for high school players. The soon to be seventh grader likes all the things kids like today, including texting.
Lorkowski got his team to the famed Williamsport finals by besting Jackie Robinson West Little League from Chicago, Illinois 10-3 and becoming the Great Lakes Region champions. He towers over his 11 and 12 year old teammates. In the regional final in Indianapolis, the big man hit two homers to pace his team. He is most dominant on the mound though. He struck out ten in six innings.
If Lorkowski continues to excel and Grosse Pointe makes a magical run through the tournament, he could very well become the new face for Detroit area sports. In 1959 when the Hamtramck Little League team won the LLWS it captivated the area and made celebrities of the players. No matter how Grosse Point finishes, Lorkowski will be on the sports radar for years to come.
Taylor, Michigan again hosted the Jr. Little League World Series which is the next age group up. The Czech Republic represented Europe. The Czech Republic won their Euro-Africa Regional at Kutno, Poland. Zory/Rybnik, Poland was the host team. The two fields at the Baseball Center at Kutno are named after Stan Musial and Edward Piszka.