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!
South-West Germany, Mannheim
South-West Germany Little League
Location:
Mannheim, Germany
Championships:
Europe-Africa
Record: 6-1
Date Qualified: June 28
Noteworthy:
1st team from Germany to qualify for any Little League World Series since 2013 (Big League).
1st team of majority German citizens to qualify for any Little League World Series (Germany began participating in 1960).
Coaches: James Cameron, Fabián Fermín Hernández, Yovany Castañeda Street
German teams have competed in Little League championship events for years, going back to 1960. The German language, however? It's been in short supply.
Previous teams representing Germany have been made up mostly of American citizens, usually from local military bases. This year, however, you may hear German in the dugout, and a lot of it: For the first time, a Little League team with a majority of German citizens will compete at the World Series.
This might not be a huge shock if you pay attention to international youth baseball. I certainly did not know that Germany has now won the last three WBSC Europe U-12 championships. Six players from last year’s team are on this year’s Little League 50/70 European champions from the South-West Little League, drawing players mostly from Frankfurt, Mainz, and Mannheim. Of the team’s 13 players, 11 are German citizens (2 American players come from non-military families living in Germany), and 5 have no major ties to another country.
Truthfully, I did not see them coming. At the Europe-Africa championship in the Czech Republic, it appeared certain that Rotterdam or the South Czech Republic would take the title, as teams from those countries do year after year, especially after the Czechs beat South-West Germany 7-1. But that game actually gave South-West Germany confidence, as they played well but had to save some pitching for later in the tournament. From there, they rolled to three straight wins, including wins over the South Czech Republic 4-1 in a rematch and Rotterdam 6-3 in a one-game final.
Their chances in the international bracket are hard to predict, especially given the opening assignment against defending world champion West Seoul, South Korea. Germany finished 9th out of 12 at the 2023 WBSC U-12 World Cup, its best finish ever, yet clearly toward the back of the pack. But righthander Bennet Lindner (already pitching for the German U-15 national team from 60 feet) and other standouts like Luis Fermin Giere, Felipe Morales Weggeman and Tino Bieth will arrive at the 50/70 World Series full of confidence. And they wouldn’t mind flying home with the first Sieg (win) earned by a team of predominantly German Little Leaguers.
| Road to Livermore | |||
| Germany | |||
| June 15 | vs. South-East Germany, Munich | W | 12-0 |
| June 16 | vs. South-East Germany, Munich | W | 10-2 |
| Europe-Africa | |||
| June 24 | Ile-de-France, Paris FRA | W | 7-6 |
| June 25 | South Czech Republic, Brno CZE | L | 1-7 |
| June 26 | Ile-de-France, Paris FRA (elim) | W | 13-2 (6) |
| June 27 | South Czech Republic, Brno CZE (elim final) | W | 4-1 |
| June 28 | Rotterdam NED (final) | W | 6-3 |
| Intermediate Baseball World Series | |||
| July 28 | West Seoul KOR | L | 0-8 |
| July 30 | Amelia Guaynabo PR (elim) | L | 1-7 |
| Aug 1 | MOT, Middletown DE (Goodwill) | W | 3-0 |
We are so excited to represent Germany 🇩🇪 for the first time at the Little League Intermediate World Series in Livermore. Greetings from Mannheim, Germany, Tom
ReplyDelete