by Erika Toman

This week, members of the Falls Church Copperheads baseball club gathered as the Falls Church City Council recognized their outstanding achievements and contributions to the community. The team, which first came together in 2020, has grown tremendously over the years, competing in high-level tournaments and representing Falls Church with pride.

Addressing the Council, player representative Asher Sequeira shared, “I want to say thank you to the Falls Church City Council for recognizing our team.” The program has been dedicated to developing young talent and creating a pathway for players aged 8-12 from the Falls Church Kiwanis Little League into competitive travel baseball.

Team member Harrison Carmody shared that despite a rough start, the team’s record soared to an impressive 85-40-3, competing at the highest graded level in their league. This hard work culminated in numerous victories, including tournament wins at the 2023 Kyle’s Camp Tournament in Fairfax and the Ripken Curtain Call Tournament in Aberdeen, MD.

The team members spoke about the lessons learned and the camaraderie that has come from years of playing together. “We learned some important life lessons,” teammate James Owen said, highlighting the values of resilience, effort, a positive mindset, and respect for the game. These young players showed the Council that their journey was about more than wins and losses—it was about building character and learning to overcome challenges together.

Another player, Evan Toman, elaborated on their team’s most memorable accomplishment: placing 5th in the prestigious 2024 Cooperstown Tournament, which hosted over 100 teams from across the United States and Canada. Team member Matthew Miller recounted impressive statistics from the Cooperstown tournament, where they held a record of 7-1, with their only loss against a formidable showcase team from Northern California. “Our success came from playing as a team,” Miller noted. “We hit 18 home runs, had a .405 team batting average, 64 RBIs, and stole 49 bases across just 8 games.”

Although this season marks the end of their journey with the Copperheads, many team members currently play together for another local travel team, already winning yet another Ripken tournament just two weeks ago.

The team expressed gratitude for the opportunity to represent Falls Church on such a wide stage and concluded by sharing a few treasured team pins with City Council members as a token of appreciation. As one of the players put it, “We are very proud to represent Falls Church and appreciate the honor of addressing the City Council. Thank you very much for this opportunity.”