20 August 2024

Bonus baseball! Stepping onto LLWS regionals on short notice

Calling Little League's Intermediate 50/70 World Series (for 13-year-olds) is one of the annual highlights of my broadcast schedule. It's so much fun and I look forward to it (and prepare for it) for months in advance.

But I can admit the lights shine brightest on ESPN's coverage of the 12-year-old Little League World Series, with regional games featured on linear television. Williamsport is the event so many of us grew up watching (I can still vividly remember some of the broadcast opening from when I was 9), and, of course, it's the one I aspired (in vain, as I knew it would be) to play in.


So when I had the chance to call two games in 12-year-old regionals, filling in for a fellow announcer experiencing technical difficulties connecting with our Whitestown, Indiana site (pictured), it was a no-brainer! I was already in Little League mode, paying attention to the regionals anyway, and still had pages left in my custom scorebook built to support Continuous Batting Order, in which every player (up to 14) is in the batting order the entire game.

So on August 6, I called the Great Lakes Region elimination game between Jasper, Indiana and Bowling Green East, Kentucky:

The following day, I called the Midwest Region winners' bracket final between Webb City, Missouri and Sioux Falls, South Dakota:

They were both tight, well-played games that seemed to fly by (less than 1 hour, 45 minutes for each) compared to the games in Livermore, which are an inning longer and inevitably slow down due to the addition of leads, pickoffs, and true stolen bases.

As I do at the 13-year-old level, I took pride in calling the teams by their league names, not just by the states involved. There's state pride involved, absolutely, and some teams even choose to order new uniforms that feature their state name. But most wear their original uniforms bearing their league name, and when you've beaten teams from all over your state to win the prize of representing that state, the town and the league deserve some specific love. Some towns have more than one league, too, as my hometown did when I played. After all, California didn't win back-to-back Little League world championships in 1992 and 1993; Long Beach, California did! 

The games were close and interesting and fun to call, and both were such an adrenaline rush, too: I was trying my best to get up to speed on these teams in short order, working with a new partner in Chris Burke and new production crews, and scrambling to get everything done. For the second game, I even had enough time to set up and appear on camera for our open!

It was incredible fun, an important contribution to our team's coverage, and a taste of something I can hope to work on again in the future!

05 August 2024

Eastbank, World Series Champions!

My non-stop week calling games from the Little League Intermediate 50/70 Baseball World Series came to a thrilling conclusion late Sunday night, as the Eastbank Little League from Kenner, Louisiana (right next to Louis Armstrong Airport) edged defending champion West Seoul, Korea with a run in the top of the seventh inning to take the world championship.

Champions of the Little League World Series (12-year-olds) back in 2019, Eastbank becomes the first  individual league ever to win both the 12- and 13-year-old world championships (although Seoul in 2014 and West Seoul in 2015 presumably had some significant overlap).

Both teams were so sound and had such good pitching that we never expected a wild, 8-7 game, but that's exactly what we got. This video doesn't include our opening tease, which I was quite proud of, but here's about 25 minutes of 13-year-old Little League fun:


28 July 2024

2024 LLIWS Preview: MOT, Middletown, Delaware

I have the privilege of calling a Little League World Series once again this year! This will mark my third consecutive call of the Intermediate 50/70 Baseball World Series, held from July 28-August 4 in Livermore, California. It's for 13-year-olds, played on a field slightly larger than Little League but still smaller than Junior League (50 feet from the pitcher's mound to home plate, 70 feet between the bases). Following this tournament and its qualifiers closely over the last three years, I've come to expect fantastic action and stories, and I'm looking forward to bringing them to you again this year!

The 2024 Intermediate World Series will air on ESPN+, and I will lay out the backstory for one of the 12 competing teams each day from now until the tournament's start on July 28. I hope you'll read along and remember a nugget here and there when you watch the tournament!

MOT, Middletown, Delaware

League:

MOT Little League
Location:
Middletown, Odessa, Townsend, Delaware
Championships:
Delaware Dist 1
East Region
Record: 8-0
Date Qualified: July 25
Noteworthy:
1st team from Delaware to reach ILWS
Coaches: Kevin Koerner, John Murray, Jeremy Clark.

At the 12-year-old age level, there have only been two Delaware teams to qualify for the Little League World Series since its founding in 1957. So it was a surprise to many when the Delaware District 1 champions, the host of this year's 13-year-old East Regional, swept it without a loss.

But nobody at MOT (pronounced Em-Oh-Tee) felt surprised, because this group had always shown it was capable. State champs as 10-year-olds and 12-year-olds, they returned 11 players from the squad that competed at 12-year-old regionals in Bristol, Connecticut last year. With some imposing 6-foot frames and big-game pitchers like Mason Guth and Jordyn Brown, they expected to make noise.

So when they took the regional stage and calmly dispatched Fairfield American (Connecticut) and dashed around the basepaths to stun Hub City (Maryland), Little League watchers took notice. But when they run-ruled Keystone (Pennsylvania) in the winners' bracket final, they became serious contenders. A much-delayed-by-rain win over South Vineland (New Jersey) Thursday night avoided the logistical nightmare of playing a delayed 'IF' game on Friday and sent MOT to Livermore.

These are heady times for MOT, with state championships at the 10- and 12-year-old age levels joining the 13s and the Senior League softball squad. Those players also start in the World Series this weekend, but in a less exotic (albeit cheaper logistically) destination of Sussex County ... Delaware. The 50/70 boys and their families are dealing with hastily arranged flights to California and, from the sounds of things, are having a ball. We'll see if that translates to the field, starting this afternoon on ESPN+!

Road to Livermore
Delaware Dist 1
July 5
at DoverW20-0 (4 inn.)
July 6
Camden-WyomingW18-6 (5 inn.)
July 8
MilfordW11-0 (5 inn.)
East Region
July 20
Fairfield American CTW5-2
July 21
Hub City, Hagerstown MDW5-4
July 22
Greater Nashua NHW18-5 (5 inn.)
July 23
Keystone, Clinton County PA (winners' bracket final)W11-1 (6 inn.)
July 25
South Vineland NJ (final)W2-0
Intermediate Baseball World Series
July 28Vine Ingle, Macon GAL4-6
July 30Livermore CA (elim)L5-6 (9 inn.)
Aug 1South-West Germany (Goodwill)L0-3



 

27 July 2024

2024 LLIWS Preview: Scripps Ranch, San Diego, California

I have the privilege of calling a Little League World Series once again this year! This will mark my third consecutive call of the Intermediate 50/70 Baseball World Series, held from July 28-August 4 in Livermore, California. It's for 13-year-olds, played on a field slightly larger than Little League but still smaller than Junior League (50 feet from the pitcher's mound to home plate, 70 feet between the bases). Following this tournament and its qualifiers closely over the last three years, I've come to expect fantastic action and stories, and I'm looking forward to bringing them to you again this year!

The 2024 Intermediate World Series will air on ESPN+, and I will lay out the backstory for one of the 12 competing teams each day from  now until the tournament's start on July 28. I hope you'll read along and remember a nugget here and there when you watch the tournament!

Scripps Ranch, San Diego, California

League:

Scripps Ranch Little League
Location:
San Diego, California
Championships:
California District 32
Southern California Section 6
Southern California
West Region
Record: 18-2
Date Qualified: July 18
Noteworthy:
2nd World Series bid (2018)
Coaches: Lance Taschner, Al Taschner, Rich Ragus

The final qualifier for this year's tournament, Scripps Ranch also has the most impressive resume. Veterans of Southern California state tournaments against high-level competition over the last three summers (including beating 2023 world champion El Segundo as 11-year-olds in 2022), this 13-year-old campaign culminated at last week's West Region tournament in Nogales, Arizona.

Seeded third for the single-elimination bracket, Scripps Ranch stunned and shut out two of the most consistent, high-level Little League programs in the region and previous Intermediate League World Series participants Central Maui and Bollinger Canyon on back-to-back nights to reach Livermore, with Landon Miller and Aaron Tinoco handling the pitching.

Scripps Ranch has been to Livermore before, in 2018, under the same manager, Lance Taschner. Its 20-game gauntlet to reach the World Series and its first-round bye make the San Diego league one of the major favorites in this year's U.S. bracket.

Road to Livermore
California District 32
June 14
Rancho Penasquitos, San Diego W 16-0 (4)
June 15
Clairemont Hilltoppers, San Diego W 12-5
June 17
Point Loma, San Diego (winners' bracket final) W 8-0
June 20
Point Loma, San Diego (final) L 4-6
June 21
Point Loma, San Diego (final) W 12-5
Southern California Section 6
June 25
Oceanside National W 10-0 (5)
June 28
at Encinitas (winners' bracket final) W 11-1 (5)
June 30
at Encinitas (final) W 10-0 (5)
Southern California
July 2
Laguna Beach W 9-2
July 6
Santa Anita W 10-7
July 8
Upland National W 5-4
July 10
East Hills Yorba Linda (winners' bracket final) W 7-6
July 12
East Hills Yorba Linda (final) W 5-2
West Region
July 17
Central Maui, Wailuku HI (group) L 1-5
July 19
San Xavier, Tucson AZ (group) W 11-0
July 21
Post Falls ID (group) W 21-1 (4)
July 22
Cascade, Turner OR (group) W 22-3 (4)
July 23
Douglas AZ (quarterfinals) W 21-2 (4)
July 24
Central Maui, Wailuku HI (semifinals) W 4-0
July 25
Bollinger Canyon, San Ramon CA (final) W 5-0
Intermediate Baseball World Series
July 29 Vine Ingle, Macon GA
W 12-9
July 31 Eastbank, Kenner LA L 1-11 (5)
Aug 1 Livermore CA (elim) L 5-12

26 July 2024

2024 LLIWS Preview: Eastbank, Kenner, Louisiana

I have the privilege of calling a Little League World Series once again this year! This will mark my third consecutive call of the Intermediate 50/70 Baseball World Series, held from July 28-August 4 in Livermore, California. It's for 13-year-olds, played on a field slightly larger than Little League but still smaller than Junior League (50 feet from the pitcher's mound to home plate, 70 feet between the bases). Following this tournament and its qualifiers closely over the last three years, I've come to expect fantastic action and stories, and I'm looking forward to bringing them to you again this year!

The 2024 Intermediate World Series will air on ESPN+, and I will lay out the backstory for one of the 12 competing teams each day from now until the tournament's start on July 28. I hope you'll read along and remember a nugget here and there when you watch the tournament!

Eastbank, Kenner, Louisiana

League:

Eastbank Little League
Location:
Kenner, Louisiana
Championships:
Louisiana (unopposed)
Southwest Region
Record: 4-0
Date Qualified: July 25
Noteworthy:
2019 Little League World Series champions (12yo)
2nd consecutive Louisiana qualifier
Coaches: Scott Frazier, Chris Schexnaydre, Ryan Roussel

Many teams that win their state title by default do not last long when they get to regionals. Untested as a group by recent game action and typically hailing from states with lower participation numbers, they go out in the early rounds. But when teams in the Southwest Region saw Eastbank Little League as the Louisiana state champion, they knew this was different.

Eastbank sauntered into New Braunfels, Texas (Hurricane Beryl forced a relocation from Sugar Land) and lapped the field, putting up at least 11 runs in all four wins. The Cajuns wound up racing out of town due to more bad weather, getting to Houston late Thursday to catch a Friday flight to their ultimate destination: Livermore.

The league, located adjacent to Louis Armstrong Airport near New Orleans, was only founded in 2013, and its founder, Scott Frazier, led the 12-year-old team to the 2019 Little League World Series championship. Frazier thought that was his last hurrah as a coach, but like so many teams, this group's motivation began with their elimination as 12-year-olds, when they battled through illness to reach extra innings against Ascension Parish in the state final, trying to force the 'IF' game. Down a run in the 8th and down several players due to a stomach bug, Eastbank loaded the bases, but a snappy double play ended their all-star campaign. (For the neutrals out there who might want a taste of Louisiana baseball atmosphere, here's the clip; Eastbank fans, look away.)

Ascension Parish (which reached Livermore last year but did not offer a 13-year-old league or all-star team this year) saw its 12-year-olds go on to the Southwest Region final against Needville, Texas, which eventually reached the U.S. championship game as the unbeaten team. So Eastbank knew it was competitive with the country's best, and the 13-year-olds proved it this week.

In Livermore, Eastbank will open against tournament veteran HYR, and it will need to show off its pitching depth (it has some: the first two games in New Braunfels were combined no-hitters) in a hurry. Righty Joe Banquer, who started three of Eastbank's four games in the regionals and went the distance against San Antonio's Northside Suburban on Thursday, will not be available to pitch until Tuesday.

Road to Livermore
Southwest Region
July 20
Deer Creek, Edmond OKW19-0 (5)
July 21
Santa Fe NMW16-0 (5)
July 23
Northside Suburban, San Antonio TX (winners' bracket final)W13-1
July 25
Northside Suburban, San Antonio TX (final)W11-1 (6)
Intermediate Baseball World Series
July 28HYR, Georgetown INW8-2
July 29Livermore CAW4-2
July 31Scripps Ranch, San Diego CAW11-1 (5)
Aug 3Livermore CA (US final)W3-1
Aug 4West Seoul KOR (World Series final)
6pm PT



 

25 July 2024

2024 LLIWS Preview: Diamond Baseball, Boisbriand, Québec

I have the privilege of calling a Little League World Series once again this year! This will mark my third consecutive call of the Intermediate 50/70 Baseball World Series, held from July 28-August 4 in Livermore, California. It's for 13-year-olds, played on a field slightly larger than Little League but still smaller than Junior League (50 feet from the pitcher's mound to home plate, 70 feet between the bases). Following this tournament and its qualifiers closely over the last three years, I've come to expect fantastic action and stories, and I'm looking forward to bringing them to you again this year!

The 2024 Intermediate World Series will air on ESPN+, and I will lay out the backstory for one of the 12 competing teams each day from now until the tournament's start on July 28. I hope you'll read along and remember a nugget here and there when you watch the tournament!

Diamond Baseball, Mirabel, Québec

League:
Diamond Baseball Little League
Location:
Boisbriand, Québec
Championships:
Québec
Canada
Record: 7-2
Date Qualified: July 24
Noteworthy:
2nd appearance in 3 years (2022, 2024)
3rd appearance (tied for most by Canadian team)
First Canadian team to win 2 games (2022)
Coaches: Laurent-Philippe Laurin, Jean-Luc Turgeon, Alex Blais

Quebec's Diamond Baseball will make its third appearance in Livermore this year after peaking at the right time in Canadian nationals, downing the British Columbia-based host district in the semifinals and the British Columbia champions in Wednesday's final, despite losing twice in the round roubin.

Two years ago, Diamond Baseball went farther than any Canadian team in Intermediate League history, notching two wins, the second over Liga Pabao from Curacao, propelling them to the international bracket final. This year, they'll open with Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, with the winner facing Pabao on the tournament's second day.

Diamond Baseball may bring one other first to Livermore this year: a former participant turned assistant coach! 20-year-old Alex Blais may be the youngest coach in Intermediate League history, and having been a player on the 2017 Diamond Baseball team, I feel confident he is the first participant to return as a coach. He's actually played at the Intermediate League, Junior League, and Senior League World Series, all while preparing for the elite junior hockey career that he continues each fall and winter.

Road to Livermore
Québec
July 6
Royal Repentigny W 10-3 (6 inn.)
July 7
Royal Repentigny W 4-3
Canada
July 17
Cape Breton Ramblers, Halifax NS (group) W 13-0 (5 inn.)
July 18
Layritz BC (group) W 5-1
July 19
at Fraser Valley Firebirds, Coquitlam BC (group) L 0-1
July 20
Lethbridge AB (group) W 12-4
July 21
Kingston Colts (group) L 5-11
July 23
at Fraser Valley Firebirds, Coquitlam BC (semifinals) W 15-2 (5 inn.)
July 24
Layritz BC (final) W 5-2
Intermediate Baseball World Series
July 28 Amelia Guaynabo PR L 4-12
July 30 Hills, Sydney AUS (elim) L 2-3
Aug 1 HYR, Georgetown IN (Goodwill) L 2-7



 

24 July 2024

2024 LLIWS Preview: Vine Ingle, Macon, Georgia

I have the privilege of calling a Little League World Series once again this year! This will mark my third consecutive call of the Intermediate 50/70 Baseball World Series, held from July 28-August 4 in Livermore, California. It's for 13-year-olds, played on a field slightly larger than Little League but still smaller than Junior League (50 feet from the pitcher's mound to home plate, 70 feet between the bases). Following this tournament and its qualifiers closely over the last three years, I've come to expect fantastic action and stories, and I'm looking forward to bringing them to you again this year!

The 2024 Intermediate World Series will air on ESPN+, and I will lay out the backstory for one of the 12 competing teams each day from now until the tournament's start on July 28. I hope you'll read along and remember a nugget here and there when you watch the tournament!

Vine Ingle, Macon, Georgia

League:
Vine Ingle Little League
Location:
Macon, Georgia
Championships:
Georgia District 5
Georgia
Southeast Region
Record: 8-1
Date Qualified: July 23
Noteworthy:
1st Georgia representative at 50/70 World Series.
1st baseball World Series appearance for Vine Ingle (reached Senior League Softball World Series last year)
Coaches: Harry DeHart, Chad Hickman, Tevin Chambliss

We get used to seeing some of the familiar leagues that qualify for World Series events year after year, but some of the most special stories come from the first-timers, achieving beyond anything their league has ever accomplished.

One such story this year is, simultaneously, one of the oldest and most established leagues in the field. Vine Ingle Little League, of Macon, Georgia, was established in 1954 and has been a mainstay of baseball in the area. But it had never sent a team to a Little League World Series event until its 16-year-old softball team qualified last year, and it follows that up one year later with its highest-achieving baseball team ever.

Vine Ingle had stopped its teenage baseball programs several years ago, but one of the many league alumni involved, coach Chad Hickman, remembered how much fun he had playing in the teenage divisions of Little League when he was in high school. Together with manager Harry DeHart, a league legend who retired from coaching 12-year-old major baseball in 2015 but keeps getting pulled back in, they called area kids who had played at younger ages and offered them the chance to play teenage Little League. Before they knew it, they had 58 players committed to field five teams, with a waiting list beyond that.

That built the robust infrastructure for a 13-year-old all-star team that has only a handful of kids from the 12-year-old team that went out in district play last year. Not many Georgia leagues field teenage teams, so the path to the Southeast Region tournament in Kernersville, North Carolina, was fairly simple. Once there, however, they ran up against history: Florida teams had won six of the last seven Southeast titles, and unbeaten Destin, Florida reached the title game unbeaten after beating Vine Ingle 5-2.

A deep pitching staff allowed Vine Ingle to keep throwing out solid arms despite having used two of its aces in the early rounds. The elimination bracket final saw a second one-run game of the tournament against South Durham, North Carolina. Leading 3-1 after Jayden Cannon (11 strikeouts) exhausted his pitch count, Vine Ingle elected to pull lefty Ross Greer in the 7th at the 20-pitch threshold to keep him eligible to pitch the championship game. After a wild pitch made it 3-2, another pitch to the backstop gave South Durham a chance to tie, but Vine Ingle corralled the ball and applied the tag at home plate in one of the tournament's most dramatic finishes!

The region championship game marked the third consecutive year a one-loss team beat the unbeaten team, perhaps making a case for a format change, but it worked just fine for Vine Ingle, as it came from behind to beat Destin 8-3. And maybe history is on its side after all: The only non-Florida team to win the region since 2015 was McCalla, Alabama in 2019, and McCalla went on to win the World Series championship.

Road to Livermore
Georgia District 5
June 22
at Chatham County, Savannah W 10-0 (5)
June 22
at Chatham County, Savannah W 20-0 (4)
Georgia
July 6
at Peachtree City W 29-1 (5)
July 6
at Peachtree City W 24-1 (3)
Southeast Region
July 19
South Durham NC W 2-1
July 20
Alexandria VA W 14-2 (5)
July 22
Destin FL L 2-5
July 22
South Durham NC (elim bracket final) W 3-2
July 23
Destin FL (final) W 8-3
Intermediate Baseball World Series
July 28 MOT, Middletown DE
W 6-4
July 29 Scripps Ranch, San Diego CA L 9-12
July 30 HYR, Georgetown IN (elim) W 6-4
July 31 Livemore CA (elim) L 4-5



 

23 July 2024

2024 LLIWS Preview: HYR, Georgetown, Indiana

I have the privilege of calling a Little League World Series once again this year! This will mark my third consecutive call of the Intermediate 50/70 Baseball World Series, held from July 28-August 4 in Livermore, California. It's for 13-year-olds, played on a field slightly larger than Little League but still smaller than Junior League (50 feet from the pitcher's mound to home plate, 70 feet between the bases). Following this tournament and its qualifiers closely over the last three years, I've come to expect fantastic action and stories, and I'm looking forward to bringing them to you again this year!

The 2024 Intermediate World Series will air on ESPN+, and I will lay out the backstory for one of the 12 competing teams each day from  now until the tournament's start on July 28. I hope you'll read along and remember a nugget here and there when you watch the tournament!

HYR, Georgetown, Indiana

League:

Highlander Youth Recreation, Floyd County Little League
Location:
Georgetown, Indiana
Championships:
Indiana District 5 (unopposed)
Indiana
Central Region
Record: 8-0
Date Qualified: July 18
Noteworthy:
4th World Series bid in last 6 tournaments (2017, 2019, 2022, 2024)
Coaches: Matt Renn, Eric Jones, Adam DeSpain

Livermore is becoming familiar territory for the four-time Central Region champs, who outclassed everybody in a five-game run through the Central Region in Ankeny, Iowa.

HYR, as they're known, was impressive in both blowouts and close wins en route to Livermore, but the question always remains: How will they stack up at a higher level? The Central Region has the worst record (8-18) of American regions at the World Series. HYR did finish 3rd in the U.S. in 2019 and more recently in 2022, when they won a memorable 10-inning showdown against Needville, Texas, before falling to eventual world champion Danville, California and runner-up Central East Maui, Hawaii.

One question for this year's team is its pitching depth. In righthander Corbin Andres, HYR has a legitimate ace. His no-hitter in the Central Region championship game included the eye-popping total of 17 strikeouts against 23 batters (he struck out 7 in the first two innings thanks to a wild pitch). But due to scheduling, he has been able to appear in six of HYR's eight games, starting five. That won't be possible with Livermore's compressed schedule and better opposition. Will HYR let him go all out to win one of the early games, or will they cut him off at 35 or 50 pitches (as in regionals) with the expectation they will still be in the hunt when he is available to throw again?

The group shows plenty of other talent, however, including the speed and lefthanded swing of centerfielder Aiden DeSpain. Now HYR gets to test itself against the country's best.

Road to Livermore
Indiana
July 5
Hobart W 14-0 (5)
July 7
Georgetown Community, Fort Wayne W 11-1 (5)
July 9
Hobart (final) W 11-1 (6)
Central Region
July 14
Whitefish Bay WI W 7-5
July 16
South Oldham KY W 11-1 (5)
July 16
Boone National IA W 4-3
July 17
Sgt. Bluff-Luton IA (winners' bracket final) W 11-1 (5)
July 18
Sgt. Bluff-Luton IA (final) W 4-0
Intermediate Baseball World Series
July 28 Eastbank, Kenner LA L 2-8
July 30 Vine Ingle, Macon GA (elim) L 4-6
July 30 Diamond Baseball, Boisbriand QC (Goodwill) W 7-2

22 July 2024

2024 LLIWS Preview: Pabao, Willemstad, Curaçao

I have the privilege of calling a Little League World Series once again this year! This will mark my third consecutive call of the Intermediate 50/70 Baseball World Series, held from July 28-August 4 in Livermore, California. It's for 13-year-olds, played on a field slightly larger than Little League but still smaller than Junior League (50 feet from the pitcher's mound to home plate, 70 feet between the bases). Following this tournament and its qualifiers closely over the last three years, I've come to expect fantastic action and stories, and I'm looking forward to bringing them to you again this year!

The 2024 Intermediate World Series will air on ESPN+, and I will lay out the backstory for one of the 12 competing teams each day from  now until the tournament's start on July 28. I hope you'll read along and remember a nugget here and there when you watch the tournament!

Pabao, Willemstad, Curaçao

League:

Liga Pabou (Pabao Little League)
Location:
Willemstad, Curaçao
Championships:
Curaçao
Latin America
Record: 8-2
Date Qualified: June 29
Noteworthy:
4th ILWS appearance (2014, 2016, 2022)
5 players won 12yo Little League World Series international championships in both 2022 and 2023, losing to U.S. teams in championship game.
15th league to appear in both 12-year-old (2023) and 13-year-old (2024) World Series in consecutive years.
Coaches: Sherrintley Da Costa Gomez, Argenis Martina, Sorick Liberia

One of the most recognized leagues in Little League Baseball, Liga Pabao (spelled Pabou in Papamiento, as Curaçao is spelled Kòrsou) makes its fourth appearance in Livermore. The veterans of five 12-year-old Little League World Series title games (including the last three international events in 2019, 2022, and 2023) have yet to break through and win the international bracket at the 13-year-old level (6-6 all-time record).

This group has every reason to believe a championship is possible, returning 11 players from last year's 12-year-old international champions and five players who have won that title two years in a row. You'd better believe they are motivated to finish the deal this time!

Getting here, however, was anything but easy. Their best-of-five series against Liga Pariba for the national title was gripping stuff: Three of the five games ended on walk-offs. (You can find most of them on YouTube!) The topper was a March 17 doubleheader in which Pariba walked off Game 4 in the series and almost had Game 5 won, with leads of 7-6 in the 7th and 9-7 in the 9th. But Pabao responded each time, culminating with ace pitcher Helmir Helmijr blooping a 2-run double to tie the score in the bottom of the 9th, then racing home from second base for the win when a throw trying to catch him sailed into the outfield. The place went nuts - check out this atmosphere!

As if being two-time defending international champions and being one strike away from elimination against your local rivals wasn't dramatic enough, Pabao took it down to the wire in the Latin American title game in the Dominican Republic. Leading a very game Coquivacoa team from Venezuela 3-2 in the 7th, Pabao faced a bases-loaded, one-out situation. But third baseman Sean Serverie snared a sharply hit line drive AND stepped on third base in another wild ending. The reactions to this one are priceless!

Unfortunately, we can't have Pariba or Coquivacoa in Livermore to feature in more drama, so Pabao will just have to find it against Puerto Rico, Korea, and others. The stars to watch are the beanpole lefthander Helmijr, the most outstanding pitcher of the Latin American championship, and Shemar Jacobus, its MVP. The biggest personality, however, is probably still Jay-Dlynn Wiel, who was the reliever giving up that line drive against Venezuela - he had told the kids from Hills, Australia, even before the Latin American regional that Pabao would definitely be there, and his teammates made good on his boast. D'Shawn Winklaar, Alexander Provacia Roach, and Joshua Acosta are all 2-time veterans of Williamsport, while Nassir El-Ossaïs had two of the most clutch home runs you'll find last year, including a tying grand slam in the championship game against El Segundo, California.

With strong front-line pitching (Helmijr and Juan Ramón Ferreras) but somewhat more questionable arms in relief, Pabao is not-to-be-missed entertainment, and if they face Korea, every other team in the tournament will be glued to the action, so you should too!

Road to Livermore
Curaçao
March 14 Pariba, Willemstad CUR W 7-1
March 15 Pariba, Willemstad CUR L 7-8
March 16 Pariba, Willemstad CUR W 11-6
March 18 Pariba, Willemstad CUR L 9-10
March 18 Pariba, Willemstad CUR W 10-9 (9)
Latin America
June 24 at La Javilla, Santo Domingo Este DR (group) W 4-3
June 25 Falcón, Cartagena COL W 15-1
June 26 Center / South, Oranjestad ARU W 9-0
June 28 Villa del Refugio MEX (semifinal) W 9-2
June 29 Coquivacoa, Maracaibo VEN (final) W 3-2
Intermediate Baseball World Series
July 29 Amelia Guaynabo PR W 10-4
July 31 West Seoul KOR W 3-1
Aug 3 West Seoul KOR (Int'l final) L 4-5

21 July 2024

2024 LLIWS Preview: West Seoul, Korea

I have the privilege of calling a Little League World Series once again this year! This will mark my third consecutive call of the Intermediate 50/70 Baseball World Series, held from July 28-August 4 in Livermore, California. It's for 13-year-olds, played on a field slightly larger than Little League but still smaller than Junior League (50 feet from the pitcher's mound to home plate, 70 feet between the bases). Following this tournament and its qualifiers closely over the last three years, I've come to expect fantastic action and stories, and I'm looking forward to bringing them to you again this year!

The 2024 Intermediate World Series will air on ESPN+, and I will lay out the backstory for one of the 12 competing teams each day from  now until the tournament's start on July 28. I hope you'll read along and remember a nugget here and there when you watch the tournament!

West Seoul, Korea

League:

West Seoul Little League
Location:
Seoul, Korea Republic
Championships:
Korea
Asia Pacific
Record: 11-0
Date Qualified: June 22
Noteworthy:
3-time World Series champion (15,18,23), 4-time International champion (15,18,22,23)
Coaches: Moon-sang Kim, Hyun-gi Lee, Jin-soo Kim

The four-time champions from West Seoul, Korea, enter seemingly every Intermediate League World Series as heavy favorites. This year's edition has both a unique motivation and, potentially for the second consecutive year, a truly worthy adversary in the international bracket.

The motivation comes from five players who were members of last year's South Seoul A 12-year-old team, which won the Korean and Asian-Pacific championships to punch a ticket to Williamsport. They were later disqualified, however, after a Taiwan protest revealed that two players from the South Seoul B team - which played against South Seoul A in nationals - had been added to the squad for the Asia-Pacific regional to replace injured players. Those players were clearly ineligible, and Korea was disqualified. So that quintet will finally get their moment at a Little League championship event in the U.S.!

The worthy adversary? Last year, it was Liga Mario Mendoza from Navojoa, Mexico, which split a pair of epic extra-inning encounters with West Seoul; only the fact that West Seoul won the second meeting, the international championship game, allowed the Korean squad to play and win the world title game.

This year's most likely adversary knows all about world title games: Liga Pabao from Curaçao has five players who have won the last two 12-year-old international championships, only to fall to U.S. teams in the world final in Williamsport. Pabao brings back almost the entire squad that lost to El Segundo, California, last year, and it is a real threat to finally be the last team celebrating.

So this West Seoul group has big work ahead. It does not appear a particularly powerful group, but the pitching and defense are exactly what we have come to expect. This based on Korea edging Chiba City, Japan 2-0 in a sharply played Asia Pacific championship game that happened to be held in Chiba province, a 45-minute drive away from the Japanese champions, who had a boisterous crowd at the final. Lefty Tae-min Kim and righty Yeon-jun Hong combined on a 2-hit shutout, and West Seoul's aggressive baserunning helped decide the contest.

Their Livermore draw is favorable, with games against South-West Germany and Hills, Australia to open the tournament if West Seoul stays unbeaten. That could leave Korea's pitching well-rested for two potential showdowns with Pabao, and if anybody has learned from last year, the key is: Win the second one!

Road to Livermore
Korea
April 27 Daegu Gyeongbuk (group) W 9-2
April 27 Jeolla Jeju (group) W 12-4
April 28 Chungcheong Gangwon (group) W 6-3
April 28 Busan Geongnyam (group) W 8-2
April 29 East Seoul (group) W 4-2
April 29 Chungcheong Gangwon (final) W 4-0
Asia Pacific
June 16 Hong Kong (group) W 15-0
June 17 China (group) W 10-0
June 18 Lorenz, South Tangerang, Indonesia (group) W 21-0
June 20 World Baseball, Taipei City TAI (semifinal) W 10-0
June 22 at Chiba City JPN (final) W 2-0
Intermediate Baseball World Series
July 28 South-West Germany W 8-0
July 29 Hills, Sydney NSW AUS W 8-1
July 31 Pabao, Willemstad CUR L 1-3
Aug 1 Amelia Guaynabo PR (elim) W 2-1
Aug 3 Pabao, Willemstad CUR (Int'l Final) W 5-4
Aug 4 Eastbank, Kenner LA (World Series Final)
6pm PT