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When the Livermore Little League team opens play Monday night in the Little League Intermediate World Series at Max Baer Park in Livermore, they will do so as owners of one banner already — District 57 champions.
By winning the title game 4-2 over Bollinger Canyon, the team got the right to represent the district as the host team for the World Series that started Sunday night.
Last year as 12-year-olds Bollinger Canyon advanced all the way to the Western Regional Finals, one step from going to Williamsport, Penn., for the Little League World Series.
This year, Livermore beat Bollinger Canyon twice in the District 57 event to get a spot in the Intermediate World Series.
Livermore opens Monday night against the Southwest team, an 8-2 winner over the Central team Sunday’s first night. Game time is 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN-Plus, a streaming service online.
The biggest battle the team has faced since winning the District 57 tournament almost a month ago has been staying sharp.
“The kids are doing great,” Livermore manager John Lee said. “We’ve been playing in different other events and practicing a lot trying to make sure we are ready.”
The lineup of teams as always is amazing considering the world of Little League Intermediate baseball comes to Livermore this week.
The United States teams joining Livermore in the tournament come from Georgetown, Ind. (Central); Middletown, Del. (East); Macon, Ga. (Southeast); Kenner, La. (Southwest); and Scripps Ranch in Southern California (West).
The international lineup is as follows: Seoul, South Korea (Asia-Pacific); Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Mirabel, Quebec (Canada); Stuttgart, Germany (Europe-Africa); Willemstad, Curacao (Latin America); and Guynabo, Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico).
“It’s exciting to see these teams and players from around the world coming in,” Lee said.
This is the first time a pure Livermore Little League team is playing in the tournament. A few years back there was a Livermore-Granada combo baseball team that played in the tournament.
So far, Livermore has been getting it done with a talented and deep pitching staff.
Jack Whilhite is the ace of the staff. “He’s a big kid and he throws hard,” Lee said.
Rhett Bystrom has been a solid No. 2 on the staff. Johnny Lee, the shortstop, comes in as the closer for the team. Grant Perotti has also been playing some great ball for Livermore.
The World Series brings an interesting dynamic in that teams know very little about each other.
“It’s an advantage we have a bye,” Lee said. “It allows us to watch the other teams play their first game.”
Pitching is always the key in these weeklong tournaments, as the rules to protect the young arms make depth a necessity.
“The key is to win the first game,” Lee explained. “You have to win the game you are in. The key is to stay out of the elimination games.”The tournament runs every day this week, with the International and U.S. Championship games set for Saturday. The World Championship game, which is televised on ESPN, is set for 6 p.m. on Sunday. Learn more at www.littleleague.org.
