Representing the Great Lakes region, Hagerstown Little League participates in the LLBWS opening ceremony on Aug. 17. Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar.
KOBE MOSLEY | MANAGING EDITOR | kmosley@butler.edu
For the first time since 2012, Indiana will have a team in the Little League Baseball World Series (LLBWS). Representing the Great Lakes Region, Hagerstown Little League is one of 20 teams competing in South Williamsport, Va.
Held every summer since 1947, the LLBWS has become a world-renowned event that displays “America’s favorite pastime” on the amateur stage. Originally consisting of teams within the United States, the tournament now includes 10 teams from out of the country. Some travel from as far as Australia, Italy or Japan to play.
Before a team ever sets foot in Pennsylvania, they have to win…a lot. For Hagerstown Little League, their journey began by winning the District 6 championship for eight to ten-year-olds on July 10. This was followed up by a 3-1 win against Decatur Little League for the Indiana state championship, locking in their spot to represent Indiana in the Little League regional tournament.
In regionals, Hagerstown posted a 3-0 record and capped off their tournament win against Kentucky with an extra-inning walk-off hit by Graham Vinson. This win officially added Hagerstown to the LLBWS bracket, under the Great Lakes Region.
In their first game, Hagerstown earned yet another walk-off win against Iowa, this time the hero being Kaden Hall who stepped up with the hit to drive in Preston Allred for the game-winning run. Allred’s reaction as he crosses home plate has probably been all over your social media feed.
Since making it to South Williamsport, Hoosiers from all over the state have given their support to the boys from Hagerstown. From the townspeople of Hagerstown to NBA guard and Hoosier native Desmond Bane, the support for this band of little-leaguers has come from all directions. Patrick Vinson, Hagerstown’s manager and Graham’s father, expressed how much the support means to the team and himself in an article by the Richmond Palladium-Item.
“The support from our small town and the surrounding communities has been the absolute best,” Vinson said. “I don’t know if you could have a better small-town community than what we have in Hagerstown. It has been unbelievable, and we so much appreciate it.”
Hagerstown truly embodies what it means to be a small, close-knit community. In a town that inhabits less than 2,000 people, most of the residents have some sort of personal connection to someone on the team. Tied by blood or not, the people of Hagerstown have been behind their little league team since day one.
On Aug. 22, Hagerstown suffered their first defeat in a 5-2 loss to Tennessee. With the loss putting them in the elimination bracket, their next game on Aug. 23 against Pennsylvania resulted in a 10-0 loss and ended their time in South Williamsport.
Even though the team is no longer in contention, they are still beyond grateful for the opportunity of a lifetime.
“The past month and a half has been the stuff that dreams are made of,” Hagerstown Little League said on Facebook. “Every kid who has ever picked up a baseball has dreamed of playing in [South] Williamsport, and these kids got to live that dream!”
