Media opens its Little League World Series quest on Wednesday night against Needville, Texas

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — With one swing of the bat in Friday’s Mid-Atlantic Regional championship win, Media Little League’s Trevor Skowronek etched himself into Delco royalty.

But that isn’t the only thing the left-handed slugger is now known for.

“I have a lot of nicknames, [but] my favorite has to be Ginger Jesus,” Skowronek told The Inquirer after practice Tuesday at the Little League International Complex. Teammates “gave me that after the walk-off; I think it came from an Instagram comment, too.”

Ginger Jesus or Skowronek, depending on how you want to refer to him, now looks to push his team further into the 76th installment of the Little League World Series starting Wednesday with Media’s opening-round game against Needville (Texas) at Howard J. Lamade Stadium (7 p.m., ESPN).

» READ MORE: What to know about Media in the Little League World Series

Fourteen down, six more to go.

The Delaware County team went 14-0 to get to Williamsport. Media went 4-0 in the District 19 tournament, 3-0 in the Section 8 tourney, 4-0 in the state tourney, and 3-0 in the regional tourney.

Austin Crowley and Skowronek came up big for Media on the mound and at the plate, respectively, Friday in the regional final against Northwest Washington, D.C.

Crowley tossed five scoreless innings while striking out 13. Then, in the seventh inning, Skowronek hit a walk-off two-run homer to right-center to give Media a 2-0 win.

“It sunk in for two hours or so, but then the whole team was focused on this and celebrating the win and not [just] me,” Skowronek said.

He said he received a lot of text messages and social media tags regarding the home run once it was posted online.

“It was really cool to see how many people were supporting us,” Skowronek said. “It was an awesome experience.”

Crowley was throwing a bullpen session outside the indoor batting facility while the team hit on Tuesday. Media manager Tom Bradley said Crowley will get the nod against Needville.

Media isn’t the first Delaware County team to appear in the Little League World Series in the 12-and-under division. Exchange Club Little League in Upper Darby and Newtown Edgemont Little League played in it in 1956 and 1967, respectively.

“It’s awesome. Delco has great baseball programs,” Bradley said. “I mean, our state championship game was Media vs. [Chester County’s] West Chester. There’s really good teams in Delco. Our District 19 is stacked. … It’s tough to get out of our district, let alone sections, states, and the Mid-Atlantic.”

Bradley said it has been a whirlwind for his team since the regional win.

After celebrating over some pizza on Friday night, the team boarded a bus at 6:30 a.m. Saturday and headed straight to Williamsport, where the players have been busy balancing pretournament, non-baseball activities with baseball. But in all, Bradley said his players have handled it well thus far.

“They’re working hard. They’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” Bradley said. “There’s some important things being taught to them, that it’s not just baseball, but how to grow up basically.”

Skowronek said his favorite part of the last few days has been getting to know the other 19 teams. Each team competing in the tournament lives in the International Grove, also known as the players’ village, during the stay. But he said one team has stood out.

“Japan,” Skowronek said about Media’s dorm mates in the village. “They’re like the nicest kids here.”

Media shortstop Chase D’Ambrosio will remain sidelined after suffering an injury during the team’s 4-3 semifinal win over Back Mountain in the state tournament on July 27. D’Ambrosio did not play in the Mid-Atlantic Regional.

Little League said in a statement that D’Ambrosio will be unable to play in the World Series.

“Little League International remains committed to making sure he has the best possible World Series experience during his time here and he will continue to participate in all off-field activities with his team,” it said.

Bradley added that “it’s going to be tough” without him.

» READ MORE: Phillies? Eagles? As it heads to the World Series, Media’s Little League team rules in the borough

As a result of a coin flip Tuesday, Media will serve as the home team against Needville.

Needville is making its Little League World Series debut after 60 seasons. Needville, which is located approximately 40 miles southwest of Houston and has a population of about 3,000, won its regional tournament in Waco, Texas, last Tuesday with a 5-3 victory over Ascension Parish (Louisiana).

“They’re a well-coached team, and you can tell [that] by how well the kids react to their coaches,” Bradley said. “They’ve got some really good pitchers and [have a] couple home run hitters.”

As for keys to the game and what it will take for his team to advance in the winner’s bracket, Bradley said the players just need to trust what has gotten them here and be “on their game.”

“It’s not going to be easy,” Bradley said. “The team from Southwest is usually a very good team. They can play all year round; the weather’s good for them. We can’t play in the winter, so it’s going to be a tough test. We’re going to get out there and give it everything we got. Hopefully, we’re healthy enough that we can get there and then kick some butt.”