For the second consecutive year, I am thrilled to be calling Little League's Intermediate 50/70 Baseball World Series July 30-August 6! This is not the 12-year-olds you see on TV in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, every year, but kids one year older, playing on a slightly bigger field (50-foot pitching distance, 70-foot basepaths) in Livermore, California. It's a different vibe than Williamsport, but extremely cool nonetheless, and it was really special for me to call the 2022 tournament, including the championship game on ESPN2.
So leading up to the 2023 Intermediate 50/70 World Series, which will air entirely on ESPN+, I want to introduce each of the competing teams with whatever information I've been able to glean on their path to Livermore (and to your ESPN+ screen!).
Taylor North, Michigan
Taylor North Little League
Location:
Taylor, Michigan
Championships:
MI District 5
Michigan state
Central Region
Record: 12-0
Date Qualified: July 21
Noteworthy:
A co-op team from the leagues that have since merged to form Taylor North reached the 2014 Intermediate World Series.
Taylor, Michigan has hosted the Junior League World Series since 1981, where this year Taylor North will be competing as the host district champion, including multiple players who are age-eligible for this team.
Coaches:
Rob Dotson, Travis Spencer, Ryan Doute
Taylor, Michigan has long been the cherished goal of 14-year-olds still playing Little League, as it has hosted the Junior League World Series since 1981. Generations of kids in Taylor have grown up going to Heritage Park and soaking up as much baseball (and some foreign culture) as possible during the tournament.
Recently, three area leagues merged into one in 2020, and the resulting league - Taylor North - has seen immediate all-star success. Taylor North won the 2021 Little League World Series championship in Williamsport (U.S. teams only) and appears on its way to becoming a regular in regional play at the teenage levels as well.
This particular age group felt like underdogs coming into all-star play. One of the first merged all-star teams, they finished 3rd in the state as 11-year-olds and lost a heartbreaking state championship game as 12-year-olds when they had the tag of "defending World Series champions." So this year's state championship game, a 19-0 blowout, was a really meaningful moment.
The scores, however, paint them as heavy favorites. Taylor North has outscored opponents 146-8 in 12 games, posting 7 shutouts. They've scored 2 or more runs in an inning more times (30) than they've been shut out in an inning (25). Other than waiting until extra innings to put up a 7-spot against Sioux City Westside during regionals, they've been dominant, including a run-rule win over two-time defending regional champ HYR.
No Central Region team has ever won the U.S. championship in Livermore, and an opening game against the winner of the West / Southwest opening-round game will be no picnic. But you get the feeling it won't phase this group in the slightest.
| Road to Livermore | |||
| Michigan District 5 | |||
| June 28 | vs. Lincoln Park | W | 15-0 |
| June 28 | vs. Lincoln Park | W | 15-0 |
| Michigan state | |||
| July 5 | vs. Macomb Twp. (group) | W | 11-1 |
| July 6 | vs. Ypsilanti National (group) | W | 15-0 |
| July 7 | vs. Commerce (group) | W | 7-0 |
| July 8 | vs. Westwood (semifinals) | W | 15-0 |
| July 9 | vs. Western, Grand Rapids (final) | W | 19-0 |
| Central Region | |||
| July 16 | Fargo, ND | W | 10-0 |
| July 17 | Westside, Sioux City IA | W | 9-2 (8 inn.) |
| July 19 | HYR, Georgetown IN | W | 11-1 |
| July 20 | Johnston, IA (winners' final) | W | 5-2 |
| July 21 | Fargo, ND (final) | W | 14-2 |
| Intermediate Baseball World Series | |||
| July 31 | Southwest / West | 6pm PT | |
| TBD | TBD | TBD | |
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