RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Little League International's President and CEO, Patrick Wilson takes care of last minute details at the opening ceremonies of the 2025 Little League World Series at Volunteer Stadium on Wednesday, Aug, 13, 2025.

There’s a new face leading this year’s Little League Baseball World Series — but it’s a familiar one.

Patrick Wilson replaced Stephen Keener as president and CEO on Jan. 1. Keener has been with Little League for more than 40 years, but Wilson’s history with the organization is almost as lengthy. Wilson started 33 years ago and said he worked his way up to where he is now.

“I never thought I’d be here,” Wilson said.

Wilson most recently served as chief operating officer, starting in 2020.

“The most important thing for us is to give the kids here the best experience available,” Wilson said.

For most of the players, this will be the only opportunity to make it here, he said.

“We need to knock it out of the park,” Wilson said.

While this will be Wilson’s first Little League Baseball World Series in his new role, he is already looking to the future, which will include improving accessibility.

Little League is partnering with the Aspen Institute’s Project Play 63×30 initiative, which has a goal of 63 percent participation by the year 2030. Wilson said they are currently between 53 to 54 percent.

Some of the ways they hope to achieve that goal is closing the gender gap and growing participation in kids of color and other socioeconomic backgrounds, he said.

“If we want to continue to grow, we have to (invite) a new group of kids who don’t have access to sports,” Wilson said.

In the past, the organization could just wait for the children to come to them to register to play, but that is no longer the case, he said.

“We have to meet kids where they are,” Wilson said.

In the coming years, that will also include growing the number of girls playing baseball. While not all of the plans on how to accomplish that have been announced, one way that is happening is continuing the tradition that began last year with the Marie Pepe Little League Baseball Legacy Series, which brought 120 girls from around the country, and some around the world, to play on the same field as the Little League Baseball players, he said.

“We want to take on a leadership position for girls to play softball or baseball,” Wilson said.

Growing participation does not mean forgetting the people who are already here. Wilson grew up in Williamsport and knows how important it is to give back to the community and involving them in the event. Local Pennsylvania District 12 Little League players carried the flags of the countries that will be participating in this year’s World Series during Wednesday morning’s Opening Ceremony.

Another focus Wilson has in his role is growing the number of volunteers — coaches and umpires.

“Volunteerism is down,” Wilson said.

He wants to develop resources to assist coaches and umpires, including a guide being released next year for female coaches. The hope is the resources will inspire more parents to volunteer, even with their busy schedules, he said.