Winners advance to Little League Softball® World Series in Portland, Ore., and Little League Baseball® World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (July 1, 2016) – The geographic footprint of the Little League® Baseball and Softball Southwestern Region encompasses seven states – Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Across that huge landscape, the focus of the region will be at its headquarters in Waco, Texas, where over the course of two weeks in late July and the early part of August, teams will compete for a chance to represent the Southwest Region at a Little League World Series tournament.
The Southwestern Region will host its Little League Softball® (Opening Ceremonies: July 27; Tournament: July 28 to August 2) and Little League Baseball® (Opening Ceremonies: August 3; Tournament: August 4 to 10) Division Tournament championships in Waco on back-to-back weeks. The winners of these tournaments will advance as Southwest Region Champions to the Little League Softball World Series in Portland, Ore., and the Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, Pa. A Little League Challenger Division® exhibition game between teams representing Bastrop (Texas) Little League and North Houston American Little League will also be held August 6 at 11 a.m.
“This is the most exciting time of year for Little League Baseball and Softball, and we’re thrilled to host both tournaments and welcome our State Champions to our great city,” said Sergio Guzman, Little League Southwestern Region Director. “Residents of Waco and beyond, as well as Little League families from throughout the Southwestern Region will experience a lot of fun, and will see the very best of youth baseball and softball.”
Throughout the two-week span of championship tournaments, associated events and promotions in partnership with local and regional community organizations will enhance the experience for participants, families, and fans. Each tournament will begin with an opening ceremony at Indian Spring Park in Waco. The ceremony includes a parade across the city’s recognizable Suspension Bridge, and, for the ceremonies, the Waco I-35 bridge will be lit in red, white, and blue colors to celebrate the events. Local dignitaries will be on hand, along with the marching band from China Spring (Texas) High School, and members of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. The ceremony continues at Indian Spring Park and concludes with a picnic for participants and a pin-trading session.
An annual fixture of the Waco community, the Little League Baseball and Softball Southwest Region Tournaments are the hallmark youth sporting event in the region. A celebration of the city, the tournaments are directed by the Little League Southwestern Regional Staff and volunteers, and supported by the Southwest Region Tournament Committee members, including Dale Fisseler, City Manager; Alfred Solano, Hispanic Chamber; Nancy Gupton, American Guaranty; Pat Atkins, Waco ISD; Lauren Cook, Hilton Group; Alissa Cady, Hewitt Chamber; Jason Elliot, Waco & The Heart of Texas; Will Phipps, Waco Sports Commission; John Kinnaird, City Council; Douglas Galler, Greater Waco Chamber; Eddie Burns, Texas Little League District 9; Mitch Thompson, McLennan Community College; Jared Mosley, Texas Sports Hall of Fame; and Ryan Sprayberry, Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
The opening ceremony for the Softball Championship will take place July 27. The tournament begins July 28 and concludes August 2. The opening ceremony for the Baseball Championship will be August 3 and the tournament will be played August 4 through August 10. All games will take place at George W. Bush Little League Southwestern Leadership Training Center at 3700 S. University Parks Drive. Each tournament will feature state champions from Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, along with Texas East and Texas West, with players league age 10 to 12 years old. The Region-level tournaments for other Little League divisions (Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball, Junior League Baseball and Softball, Senior League Baseball and Softball, and Big League Baseball and Softball) will take place at sites throughout the region.
The Longhorn Network will broadcast the semifinal and championship games of the Little League Softball Southwest Region tournament and the early round games of the Little League Baseball Tournament, with the semifinals and championship game airing on the ESPN family of networks and the WatchESPN App. More information about all nine Little League World Series tournaments can be found at LLBWS.org.
About Little League®
Little League® Baseball and Softball is the world’s largest organized youth sports program, with 2.4 million players and one million adult volunteers in every U.S. state and more than 80 other countries. Founded in 1939, more than 35 million people around the world, from a U.S. president to community leaders to professional athletes, can call themselves Little League graduates. And every year, millions of people follow the hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship that the Little Leaguers display at our nine baseball and softball World Series events, the premier tournaments in youth sports. For more information, visit LittleLeague.org, or follow Little League on Facebook (facebook.com/LittleLeague), Twitter (twitter.com/LittleLeague), and Instagram (Instagram.com/LittleLeague). Follow all of the action from the nine Little League World Series at llbws.org or on social media at hashtag: #LLWS.
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For more information contact:
Brian McClintock, Senior Director of Communications, Little League Baseball & Softball
Office: 570-326-1921, ext. 2252; Cell: 570-772-2431;
E-mail: bmcclintock@LittleLeague.org; Website: LittleLeague.org
