Lehi City News
Mayor Binns gives Team Utah a hometown sendoff before ESPN regional tournament
Staff Writer | Lehi Free Press
An ordinary Lone Peak Little League practice briefly became a hometown celebration when Lehi Mayor Paul Binns stepped onto the field to congratulate the newly crowned Utah state champions.
Binns shook hands with the players, posed for a team photograph and spoke to the boys about representing Lehi and the surrounding northern Utah County community on a regional stage. The visit came as Lone Peak prepares to travel to San Bernardino, Calif., for the Little League Mountain Region Tournament.
The mayor kept his advice simple.
“You’ve just got to go beat the next team—one at a time,” Binns told the players. He encouraged them to play a complete six-inning game, listen to their coaches and leave everything on the field. He also reminded the boys that mistakes are part of baseball and that their response matters more than perfection.
“We’re proud of you. We’re cheering for you. We’re excited for you,” Binns said.
The visit carried special meaning for the Lehi families on the roster. Coach Mac Nelson, along with players D.G. Nelson and Crew Petersen, are Lehi residents helping represent Utah at the Mountain Region Tournament.
“For 12-year-olds, having the mayor come to their practice and shake each boy’s hand makes the support of the city feel real,” Coach Nelson said. “They understand that they are not only playing for themselves anymore. They are carrying their families, their league, Lehi and the entire state with them.”
Lone Peak earned that responsibility with a dominant four-game state tournament in Cedar City. The team outscored its opponents 46-8, hit 13 home runs from nine different players and finished the tournament with a 1.09 earned-run average, 39 strikeouts and a 0.91 WHIP, according to team tournament totals.
The title game required a different kind of performance. Facing Cedar American’s ace in a championship rematch, Lone Peak won 4-1 behind four scoreless innings from Conrad Mergenthal, a two-strike RBI single from MaClane “Muggsy” Berry, a productive RBI groundout from Steven Mateo and Bubba Wilkes’ decisive two-run shot to center. Lone Peak committed no errors, and Crew Litke struck out the final two hitters to clinch the championship. The players later received rings and posed with a banner reading “Utah Little League State Champions.”
For Megan Nelson, seeing the mayor recognize the boys reinforced how much the experience has grown beyond baseball.
“As a parent, you spend so much time focused on practices, uniforms, rides and schedules that you sometimes forget how meaningful the larger moment is,” Megan Nelson said. “When the mayor stands in front of your son and tells him the city is proud of him, you realize these boys are creating a memory they will carry for the rest of their lives.”
The team’s regional journey begins Saturday, Aug. 8, against Colorado. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Mountain Time on ESPN+. The Mountain Region Tournament runs through Aug. 14, with the champion advancing to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn.
Binns ended his visit with a promise that gave the players one more goal to chase.
“Keep winning, and we’ll have another little ceremony,” he said, “but it’ll be down at City Hall.”
