PEABODY — The Peabody 12-year-old Little League All-Stars put together a memorable run this summer, winning their first District 16 title since 2019 and advancing all the way to the Little League state championship tournament.
Led by manager John Hoffman, the team showcased strong pitching, timely hitting and years of chemistry that culminated in a Section 4 championship and a spot in the final four teams in Massachusetts.
“This team has been playing together for a while now,” Hoffman said. “That’s probably the best thing—seeing the results of the work you put in. It took them further than we could have ever imagined.”
In the District 16 championship game against Swampscott, Peabody shut down the red-hot Swampscott team 4-0. One key turning point came earlier in that tournament, when Adam Grant threw a no-hitter against Peabody West—one of the district’s perennial contenders—in a 7-0 win.
“It seems like it’s always us and Peabody West battling it out,” Hoffman said. “They’re a very good team and the kids know each other well. I think that was the game where we realized we had something special. It was a huge boost to the kids’ confidence.”
Swampscott had entered the district final red-hot, knocking off Peabody West and Wyoma along the way, but Peabody was ready.
“It was awesome to win,” Hoffman said. “We got lucky—Swampscott was on quite a run of their own. But we had all our pitchers back and our kids showed up firing on all cylinders.”
With the District 16 title in hand, Peabody advanced to the Section 4 tournament, where things got even more intense. In a rematch of the district final, Peabody dropped its first game to Swampscott, 2-1. But the team bounced back with a thrilling 7-6 walk-off win over Wakefield and then a 4-2 victory against Danvers Nationals.
Heading into the final day of sectional round-robin play, Peabody, Danvers and Swampscott all sat at 1-1. To make the championship game, Peabody had to beat Danvers and win the runs-allowed tiebreaker.
“I just kept telling the boys to keep it simple and just go out there and beat Danvers Nationals,” Hoffman said. “I was aware of the runs-against ratio and how it would play into it. I never imagined we’d hold them like we did.”
That credit went to Declan Peterson, who delivered a complete-game gem to lead Peabody to another 4-2 win.
“It might have been the best game I’ve ever seen him pitch,” Hoffman said. “He’s done a ton of work this year and tweaked his delivery. He went all six innings—unbelievable.”
In the Section 4 championship rematch against Danvers Nationals, Grant once again set the tone with five shutout innings. Then 11-year-old Caleb Dube, brought up specifically to provide pitching depth, came in to close the door and finish off the 4-0 win.
“Adam pitched an unbelievable game,” Hoffman said. “Then we went with our only 11-year-old on the team. We knew we’d need another arm, and Caleb was our best 11-year-old pitcher. He went in and shut it out to help us win the championship.”
Throughout the run, Peabody’s pitching was a strength. Hoffman also credited Lukas Downey and Jack Houlihan for their contributions on the mound.
That sectional title punched Peabody’s ticket to the Little League state championship tournament, where they competed among the top four teams in the state.
“The boys were dialed in,” Hoffman said. “It didn’t go the way we dreamed it would, but it was the best week of practice we had. The kids are so close with each other on and off the field. They kept pushing each other.”
Peabody’s run ended in the state tournament, but not before the team left its mark.
“Unfortunately, in the last game the wheels came off. It wasn’t the way we wanted to go out, but the kids were flawless up to that point. They held their heads up high.”
For Hoffman, the run held extra meaning—this summer was his final one coaching Little League.
“I’m super proud of them. I can’t even express how much joy this run brought to me,” Hoffman said. “I told them before the tournaments started that this was my last year coaching baseball. I wanted them to go out and do everything they could to go out on top.
“The sacrifices these kids made during the summer—putting in all this work and not even getting to enjoy a regular summer—it means so much. I’ve been involved with Peabody Little League since my son, Jaxson, was four. It’s a proud moment to see them get the support and everything they got from the city.”
