Star Little League player not only has skills — he has heart

It was the second round of the Palo Alto Little League City Championship, and Palo Alto Wealth Advisors (PAWA) was set to face the top seed team, Bevy, on May 10. The team was nervous; they had lost every time they had faced Bevy’s pitcher.

But PAWA player Nate Signorello-Katz was convinced his team could turn that trend around — and he was determined to do what it took to make that happen.

Before the game against Bevy, Nate studied videos of the other team, what they were good at, how they pitched and how they hit.

“Nobody asked him to do that, and I think it shows amazing baseball knowledge, leadership, competitiveness and drive for a 12 year old,” PAWA coach Nate Blair said.

Nate isn’t just a hard worker, Blair said: The kid has had an exceptional season, breaking the official Palo Alto Little League record with 11 home runs (although the unofficial record is thought to be over 13). Last year, he was selected for Palo Alto Little League’s All Star team, which is Little League’s most competitive season.

What stands out about Nate is not just the stats — hitting over .800, an on-base plus slugging score of over .2500, a total of 33 runs this summer — but his dedication to his team.

“Nate’s really good at pointing out what everyone has done on the team. Pointing out the small things that might not show up on the score,” Blair said.

Despite making significant contributions at bat, Nate’s favorite position is shortstop because “you get a lot of action and you can help people,” he said.

His favorite player is Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nate described Freeman as “a really good player, but I like his personality: He’s always kind and respectful to other people. I’m trying to incorporate that.”

Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers is ‘always kind and respectful to other people. I’m trying to incorporate that.’

Nate Signorello-Katz, Palo Alto Little League player

Blair described the May 10 game as a “real battle.” At the beginning of the sixth inning, Bevy was in the lead 4-1. However, during the sixth inning, Bevy’s pitcher had to sit down after reaching the 85 pitch limit. From there, PAWA started to catch up. Little League games are typically six innings but this game went to nine innings with a total playing time of three hours. Nate Signorello-Katz went 4-4 during the game, helping his team to a victory of 13-7 over Bevy.

PAWA had started out the season with the goal to win the City Championship. Now they’re one step closer.

“We thought we had the drive and the motivation to make it to the championship and win it,” Nate said.

When asked what makes the PAWA team so successful, Nate said that it comes down to the team’s ability to communicate, both on and off the field.

“If I (have) a bad game, my teammates are there to pick me up,” Nate said.

While Nate describes the past few championship games as “the highlight of the season,” there are still more games ahead of them. The team is studying up and getting ready to play “the best we can on the field.”

On May 15, Palo Alto Wealth Advisors faced Cal Preserving in the next round of the City Championship at the Middlefield Ballpark at 3672 Middlefield Road. PAWA won 15-5 and advanced to the championship round being played on Friday, May 19.