Baseball is beautiful, simply due to perfect execution of plays like a delayed steal of home. Picture it: Runners on first and third bases with one out in the bottom of the first inning of a scoreless game. Push a run across, and you’ve suddenly got all the momentum in a Little League state championship game.
That was the position the River Forest 11U baseball team found itself July 29 at Hinsdale – a team the locals lost to in the 2025 10U title game.
With Nate Kardosh on first and Dawson Przyborowski at third, at bat was Jack Hanley, and all three knew what to do.
Kardosh broke for second in an attempt to get into a rundown, thus allowing Przyborowski to score. Hypothetically, anyway.
The Hinsdale catcher threw the ball across the field to his shortstop and Kardosh froze within feet of second base. Simultaneously, Przyborowski broke for the plate. Hanley’s role was simply to get out of the way.
It worked. Przyborowski beat the throw and Kardosh was safe at second.
“Once I saw the catcher was throwing it down to second base, I knew I had to start running because the shortstop had a good arm,” said Przyborowski, son of coach Josh Przyborowski. “It was exciting. I knew it was going to help us settle in with the lead and it would calm down our pitcher so he wouldn’t have to be perfect.”
The pitcher was Hanley, who was nothing short of stellar in his team’s 3-2 state championship win over Hinsdale. Despite the fact that Hinsdale was hosting the finals, No. 2-seeded River Forest was designated the “home” team and Hanley threw a complete game, giving up just those two runs.
He also got out of a major jam in top of the sixth inning to seal the victory with a ton of help from his catcher – Przyborowski.
With two outs and the bases loaded, there is no margin for error, and Hanley knew it.
“I was thinking that I couldn’t leave the ball over the middle,” he said. “I would have to pick corners and Dawson definitely helped me.”
At the moment of truth, neither player flinched. Hanley painted the corner, nestled the ball neatly in Przyborowski’s mitt and Hinsdale’s best hitter was called out on strikes.
Bring on the pandemonium.
“At the time, I was thinking we’ve been waiting for this for a year,” said shortstop Michael Berger, son of pitching coach Ian Berger. “Last year we got second and it was great to beat them back.”
And how. River Forest went 22-2 this season, including winning their last 19 in a row – eight in the state tournament. But July 29 was the big day, as the locals drubbed Moline 12-0 in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. before beating Hinsdale at 7:30 p.m.
“We made the state tournament last year and felt like we were underdogs,” Josh Przyborowski said. “We left last year believing we belonged there and came into this tournament with much more confidence.”
This is about the age that travel ball begins to beckon, and Przyborowski said his group is different because they’ve been friends for essentially their whole lives and want to play together. They’ll do that next year in 12U, which is when the opportunity to advance to the Little League World Series comes about.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Przyborowski said there are several things he and his coaches emphasize to their young charges.
“We remind them that baseball is a tough game and it’s a game where you have to learn to deal with adversity,” he said. “Nobody should feel like they are out there by themselves. They should rely on the strength of their teammates.”
But these guys aren’t alone and they won’t be as middle school bleeds into high school baseball. You’ll be reading their names in Wednesday Journal a few years from now.
“I think it’s everyone in the neighborhood and the talent and the coaches,” Berger said. “We work so well together and we’re best friends.”