Winchester Little Leaguers to Play in Regional Tournament

The New England Stampede 11-and-under team, which has four players from Winchester, clinched a division title in its first year of play and is headed to the New England regional tournament this weekend.

"When you're teaching these kids you don't believe they're 11," said coach Dave DiCecca, who also lives in Winchester. "They work hard, and what makes us so successful is every kid shows up to every practice."

The Winchester players are Aiden Steckel, Stefano Mitsakis, Teddy Falkenberg and Tim Albert.

Steckel is the team's No. 2 hitter. DiCecca also calls him a backstop, because nothing gets past him at catcher, and Steckel has a great arm — he manages to throw out would-be base stealers even though the bases are only 70 feet apart.

Mitsakis, nicknamed "Zoolander" by his teammates, is the starting rightfielder and also a utility infielder. He excels at putting the bat on the ball.

Falkenberg is a first baseman and focused hitter who is always working to get better.

Albert never played outfield before this season, but the lefty has improved tremendously and now positions himself perfectly.

The team also has players from Burlington, Lexington, Reading and Woburn. It's based out of Extra Innings in Woburn and plays its home games at Austin Prep in Reading.

Peter Burns of Reading threw a no-hitter and hit a three-run double as the Stampede beat the Firebirds 3-0 in the final game of its division season to finish 9-1.

Besides being competitive and working hard, the Stampede also have good attitudes.

"If you don't smile you can't play for me," DiCecca said.

There are four teams in the Stampedes overall program — 11U, 12U, 13U and 14U — encompassing more than 100 kids. Steckel's brother, Ian, is the captain of the 14U team and was named Stampede Player of the Year for his contributions on and off the field.