Chase Champi, an eighth-grader at Frelinghuysen Middle School, had the opportunity to play his favorite sport on a true field of dreams.

The Morris Township teen said he found out he had been selected to participate in the Cooperstown Classic at Dreams Park just six days before he left to play.

"The team was thrown together," said Champi, who is a catcher. "We only had two practices as a team."

But that didn't stop the aptly-named New Jersey Hurricanes from storming their way to victory during week 13 just as Hurricane Irene blew through town.

"The Sunday the tournament was to start, Irene hit Cooperstown with four-plus inches of rain and wind and the grounds crew had all 26 fields open and ready for play the next morning," said Champi's dad, Samuel Champi. "Cooperstown Dreams Park is much more than advertised. They run a professional week of baseball and fun. It is run to perfection."

During the week of Aug. 27 through Sept. 2, the catcher said, he played 12 games in four days.

"It was awesome—one of my best baseball experiences ever, and I will never forget it," the younger Champi said. "My favorite part was playing in the finals. I have never been to a nicer baseball field and I have never played in front of so many people. Also, the dugouts were amazing. They were right behind home plate."

Despite all the fun, which included bunking overnight on campus with his teammates, there was plenty of hard work to be done when the No. 19-seeded Hurricanes faced the No.-5 seeded So Cal Rebels from Mission Viejo, CA. 

The opposing team contained three players who had just been part of the winning team during the Little League World Series, Champi said. The ballplayer, who also enjoys wrestling, thrived under the pressure and scored two home runs, described on the Cooperstown website as "monster shots out of the stadium."

The Hurricanes celebrated an 8-5 win over the So Cal Rebels, a team that had beaten the Hurricanes in the first game of the tournament.

Friends and members of Champi's extended family were able to watch the game through the website.

"It was the most exciting athletic moment as parents," said Samuel Champi. "Funny enough, in hearing our last name at the final game through announcements, etc, an old college buddy and teammate ran through all the people to come say 'hello.' This happened three-four times. It is unreal to see how sports can reunite people."