Nats excited for Little League Classic

The Nationals will board a flight this morning and head to Williamsport, Pa., for a full day of festivities ahead of tonight’s Little League Classic against the Phillies.

The sixth edition of this special major league game will be the first time the Nationals will get to experience the pomp and circumstance surrounding the event. And the team is looking forward to the opportunity to spend the day with the young ballplayers competing for the Little League World Series.

“It's gonna be a lot of fun,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We still got to go out there and compete. But the fun part of it is going to hang out with the kids. I want to go try to watch a couple of games, some international games. Who knows, I might get on cardboard and slide down the hill. That looks fun to me every time I see it. I'd rather do it than players do it. It's gonna be a lot of fun. And for me, it's about the kids. It's about where our roots came from, why we're here. We all started in Little League, right? So it's gonna be a lot of fun.”

“The dream always starts somewhere,” said CJ Abrams. “To be able to go out there and have fun with the kids, it's gonna be a lot of fun.”

The Nats got a jumpstart of the weekend’s festivities by hosting the Little League team from Northwest D.C., on Friday. The team representing the District was so close to earning a trip to Williamsport, but fell to a Pennsylvania team in extra innings in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Final.

Martinez and the Nats wanted to make sure the Little Leaguers knew their accomplishments did not go unnoticed.

“We had Northwestern here and a bunch of kids,” the big league manager said. “Just talking to them and letting them know that, hey, what you did was not easy. You guys made it a long way and you should be proud of that. I wished them all the best moving forward. Hopefully one day, I said, 'I don't know if I'll be around when you guys are ready to come to the big leagues, but if some of you do make it, I'm sure I'll come watch you play.’”

Today’s event will be special to a Nationals clubhouse full of players who are active in the local community and Little Leagues.

“I'm excited. I can't wait to see the talent out there, meet them,” said Dominic Smith, who has frequently visited local Little League teams this summer. “Obviously, I'm sure they're gonna have some festivities set up for us. Maybe a little football game or something. I can't wait to see what they're made of and just enjoy the overall experience of being in Williamsport. It's a great town, great city and just going to the whole Classic is just going to be a fun day for everybody.”

“We got a good group that does a lot of stuff for the community, which is awesome,” Martinez said. “And I encourage it all the time to go out there and talk to people and meet the fans and show people what you're really made of. That's part of it. And these guys are really good about that stuff. So I know tomorrow, they're excited. Like I said, we got a bunch of young kids. I mean, CJ Abrams has a baby face. One of these coaches might want him to play shortstop. I want them to go out there and have fun and enjoy it.”

Though it would be tough to sneak Abrams in an actual Little League lineup, he’s still looking forward to playing some ball with the kids.

“I'm just gonna go out there and kind of enjoy it,” he said. “Go out there, have fun with the little kids, play with them. If they have any questions or anything, I'll give them some advice if they want. Just go out there and have fun for sure.”

Mark Zuckerman will have coverage from Williamsport throughout the day and tonight’s game.