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!
Livermore, California
Livermore Little League
Location:
Livermore, California
Championships:
California District 57
Record: 3-1
Date Qualified: June 20
Noteworthy:
First World Series appearance with only players from Livermore LL; appeared in 2018 and 2019 as a co-op with tournament host Granada LL.
Coaches: John Lee, Dave Perotti, John Wilhite
The World Series is played in Livermore, California, but Max Baer Park is actually home to one of the city's two leagues, Granada Little League. Playing as a combined city team, Granada and Livermore Little Leagues made back-to-back appearances in 2018 and 2019, winning the U.S. championship in 2018.
Record: 3-1
Date Qualified: June 20
Noteworthy:
First World Series appearance with only players from Livermore LL; appeared in 2018 and 2019 as a co-op with tournament host Granada LL.
Coaches: John Lee, Dave Perotti, John Wilhite
The World Series is played in Livermore, California, but Max Baer Park is actually home to one of the city's two leagues, Granada Little League. Playing as a combined city team, Granada and Livermore Little Leagues made back-to-back appearances in 2018 and 2019, winning the U.S. championship in 2018.
But this year is all about Livermore Little League, representing the north and east sides of the city of 88,000 people. The league itself was formed by a 2016 merger of Livermore National and Livermore American Little Leagues, completed during the Livermore National league presidency of John Lee, who is now the manager of the first purely Livermore Little League team to reach the Intermediate League World Series. (Mergers are part of a trend across Little League; District 57 had 8 leagues compete in 12-year-old districts this year, down from 12 in 2014, and my home district had just 5 leagues compete this year, down from 15 in 2014.)
The 12-year-old "Williamsport year" is the peak of most Little Leaguers' careers, but those in California District 57 get a second year with glory close at hand, needing only to win the district as 13-year-olds to play at the international level. Winning the district, though, is no small feat. Bollinger Canyon (another recently merged league) won both the 13-year-old and 12-year-old levels last year, with the 12s edging Livermore in a close three games en route to the Northern California title. Ultimately, Bollinger Canyon narrowly missed out on Williamsport after losing to eventual world champion El Segundo in regionals.
For Livermore's 12-year-olds, most of whom have played together since age 8, that meant yet another year as second fiddle locally. Now 13, the 50/70 playing field served as this group's opportunity to shine, and they seized it. Unbeaten in the regular season with a similar roster, crunch time for the all-stars is always the mid-June District 57 tournament. Livermore and Bollinger Canyon had the misfortune to be drawn against each other in their tournament opener and engaged in an epic pitchers' duel between Livermore's imposing ace Jack Wilhite and Bollinger Canyon standout Jay Murai. Locked in a scoreless affair, both were pulled at the 65-pitch mark to preserve their eligibility to pitch four days later.
Livermore went on to win that opening-round nailbiter and another two days later against city rival Granada, rallying to win 2-1 behind the pitching of Grant Perotti and a walk-off single from Rhett Bystrom. After Bollinger Canyon won three consecutive elimination games, including a tight contest against Granada, it was time for Wilhite vs. Murai II. This time, Bollinger Canyon pulled out a 2-0 win to force a winner-take-all Game 9 of the tournament. Livermore still had an ace up its sleeve, however, as Bystrom out-dueled Bollinger Canyon's Mikey Wong. Tied at 2-2 in the 6th, the Nos. 10 and 11 hitters in Livermore's lineup, Gant Leathers and Cody Truitt, started a 2-run rally, and Bystrom made it hold up in the 7th to make Livermore the district's new top dog.
As the group prepares for its moment carrying the District 57 banner (literally!), a subplot beckons. The District 57 runner-up, you see, continues on in Northern California tournament play, and Bollinger Canyon has continued to win, all the way to the West Regional in Nogales, Arizona. Could Livermore be upstaged by Bollinger Canyon one more time? Could the district foes possibly meet at the World Series? Time will tell, but even if they do share the stage once again, Livermore will definitely feel this is its year to shine.
| Road to Livermore | |||
| California District 57 |
|||
| June 15 |
Bollinger Canyon, San Ramon | W | 3-2 |
| June 17 |
Granada, Livermore (winners' final) | W | 2-1 |
| June 19 |
Bollinger Canyon, San Ramon (final) | L | 0-2 |
| June 20 |
Bollinger Canyon, San Ramon (final) | W | 4-2 |
| Intermediate Baseball World Series | |||
| July 29 | Eastbank, Kenner LA | L | 2-4 |
| July 30 | MOT, Middletown DE (elim) | W | 6-5 (9 inn.) |
| July 31 | Vine Ingle, Macon GA (elim) | W | 5-4 |
| Aug 1 | Scripps Ranch, San Diego CA (elim) | W | 12-5 |
| Aug 3 | Eastbank, Kenner LA (US final) | L | 1-3 |
