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Only one team will leave the Little League World Series victorious as a new champion is crowned Sunday.
But for every team here, this entire summer has been one big victory. District, section, state and regional championship banners have been earned. Other teams won Little League World Series games and, whatever the result here, every team has made memories they will carry forever. Here is one look back at the seven U.S teams which had been eliminated:
BONNNEY LAKE, WASHINGTON
The Northwest champions went 0-2, at the Series but that does nothing to diminish that this team achieved. Bonney Lake was not only the first team from its league, but also its District 10 to reach the Series. It also captured the first state championship in league history.
Especially impressive was the way Bonney Lake won so many games this summer. This team truly was the Comeback Kids. Bonney Lake overcame deficits in both games of its state championship, including remarkably, erasing an 8-0 deficit in the opening game. It then overcame two-run fifth inning and one-run sixth inning deficits to edge Oregon, 3-2 in extra innings to capture the Northwest title.
"What I told them in the dugout afterward (the final game) is I know this hurts but give it some time and they’re going to realize what they started back home," Washingotn manager Jess Workman said. "They’re the first team in our league and our district to make it here. They’ll realize when we get back what they started."
They might have started something pretty special. Fall ball registration already has soared back home and one can expect Little League sign-ups next spring potentially reaching an all-time high. This tenacious team is the main reason why.
MIDDLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS
Although Middleboro had played at the Series once before in 1994, the league had not won a state championship since that season. This 2022 team ended both droughts in impressive fashion, overcoming losses in section and regional play and winning four championships.
Other than Gavin Gillpatrick, who played on last year’s state runner-up, those players had never won a Little League championship at any level so this run was especially meaningful.
"It’s been a great experience here. It’s something we’ll never forget. We have a lot of memories," Massachusetts manager Chad Gillpatrick said. "There’s 6,500 teams playing and to be this far is amazing. We battled till the very end and the last pitch and I was proud of these boys."
Massachusetts went 0-2 but was a few hits and/or plays from winning both games, losing hard-fought 5-3 and 7-5 contests against Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Both times, Massachusetts made late-game rallies and showed off the trademark resilience which should help the players a lot as they move forward.
"They’re 12 and they’re learning to compete. They had some tough plays and tough at-bats and that’s what we’re trying to prepare them for when they get to high school and college to be able to learn and compete and control their emotions," Gillpatrick said. "Baseball is a very mental game and to be able to do that at a young age is a pretty good asset to have as a ball player. That was our focus all summer, to be mentally strong from start to finish every game."
MASSAPEQUA, NEW YORK
It was not the ending this history-making team wanted, but what a ride it was. Massapequa also went 0-2, but put its league on the map by reaching the Series and becoming the first team in league history to capture a state championship.
Massapequa was labeled an underdog when it reached the state tournament, but never played like one and captured that elusive crown in emphatic fashion. It then barreled through a rigorous Metro Region field which included perennial powers Toms River, New Jersey; Fairfield, Connecticut and Cumberland, Rhode Island; leagues which had combined for 10 Series berths.
Bringing bride throughout Long Island, Massapequa became the talk of a sports-crazed state for a short time and had Major Leaguers and other celebrities constantly wishing them well. The big picture always was in focus as well, and what a picture this team painted.
Aside from the fun, aside from all the media attention, the way we were treated here was awesome. They were treated like Major League Baseball players," Massapequa manager Roland Clark said. "All of these things are things I want them to look back on. As far as other people, I think they’ll remember that, too, and say this was a team of 12-year-old boys who were thrown into the spotlight in a two-week period of time and I think they handled it perfectly."
SANTA CLARA, UTAH
Talk about leaving a mark. Sure, the Snow Canyon Little Leaguers wanted to win a game at the Series, but they made a huge impact just by reaching South Williamsport. Maybe future Utah teams will play here, but Santa Clara always will be the first.
Santa Clara captured its first state championship since 2016 before going on a historic run and winning the Mountain Region championship. Santa Clara entered the Series undefeated and was not just the first Utah team to reach the Series, but also the first to play in a regional title game.
"It’s an honor to play the first game to represent Utah," Santa Clara manager Mark Ence said. "We wish the outcome would have been a little different but that’s baseball and hopefully we can be trail blazers and maybe more Utah teams can come here and represent the state because it is an awesome experience for the kids."
Santa Clara suffered tragedy before playing its first game when Easton Oliverson fractured his skull after falling out of his bunk bed, but the team played hard in his honor and love poured out from all parts of the country and from those attending the Series games in support of Easton, who is making a remarkable recovery, and his team.
"I have 94 text messages. Every game, between the three coaches we have over 300," Ence said. "That’s in support, so that’s pretty awesome. We definitely appreciate it."
HAGERSTOWN, INDIANA
Even after the run was over, Hagerstown manager Patrick Vinson remained in awe. Hagerstown is a town of just 1,700. The league had just 23 players from which to select its all-star team.
And yet Hagerstown finished among the top six finishers in the United States. Hagerstown reached the Series for the first time, won an 8-7 thriller against Iowa and was only a ridiculously amazing William Satinoff catch from reaching the winner’s bracket final. What a run it was for this team which gave inspiration to small towns everywhere.
"We played our league, we chose our 13 and we started practicing and we just kind of started piecing things together," Vinson said. "That’s kind of how we’ve done this. It’s still hard to believe that we’re here."
Hagerstown was undefeated until losing to Tennessee in a 5-2, seven-inning thriller Monday. Along the way, the Great Lakes champions revealed their heart, winning a series of thrillers. In both the regional final against Kentucky and the Series opener against Iowa, Hagerstown won on walk-offs. That was the case in states as well when Graham Vinson hit a walk-off, two-run home run.
The fight this team showed will long be remembered by this tight-knit community.
"It is an exhausting grind. It’s a good exhaustion," Vinson said. "You’re here in Williamsport. It’s the pinnacle of youth sports; it’s Heaven on Earth."
DAVENPORT, IOWA
There was a time when the Midwest struggled at the Series, but Davenport continued raising the bar for that region. A year after South Dakota reached the semifinals, Davenport won two games and finished among the country’s top six teams. The Midwest champions won two straight games after dropping an 8-7 heartbreaker against Indiana in the opening round and went down fighting against Texas.
For four players, it was the end of an incredible two-year journey after Davenport finished one win shy of reaching last year’s Series. Boosted by nine new players, the team completed the journey and what an adventure it was.
"It has been a magical run. I credit the kids. I’m just so proud that we represented Davenport Southeast Little League on this big stage," Davenport manager David McFate said. "That’s what I said to the boys. You come here and teams from all over the world, but we could compete. We went 2-2. It wasn’t too big for us. Winning games here was awesome. I’m just proud of how we represented Davenport Southeast Little League, represented the state of Iowa and represented the Midwest region."
Davenport went unbeaten through states and showed its grit when it fought through the loser’s bracket and won avenged its lone loss at regionals by winning an extra-inning thriller against previously undefeated Missouri. Along the way, Davenport displayed a knack for winning close games and rallying whenever pushed hard.
Those memories are the ones players and coaches will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
"Winning games here, there’s not a better feeling in baseball. I’m super proud of our guys. They never gave up. They kept fighting," McFate said. "The message was what you guys accomplished; nobody is ever going to be able to take this away from you because it’s pretty awesome. In 5-10 years when you’re thinking back, you’ll get over this (Texas) loss but you’ll remember this awesome experience to Williamsport."
HOLLIDAYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
Drawing big crowds every time it played at the Series, Hollidaysburg gave its fans quite a thrill here, going 3-2 and finishing fourth in the country. Even more impressive, Hollidaysburg did all this despite not having a league eight years ago.
It has been a rapid rise for this league and quite a two-year journey. Several of these players competed for last year’s team which reached the state tournament and helped Hollidaysburg win the league’s first state and regional championships.
Hollidaysburg showed remarkable grit all season, going 10-0 in elimination games before losing to Texas, 8-4 Wednesday. Even in that game, Hollidaysburg produced an excellent performance. It took a series of phenomenal Texas plays to finally end this team’s historic journey.
"Me personally, it’s the best experience I’ve ever had around baseball. I grew up playing baseball, through college; had the opportunity to coach and be around our Little League for nine years. To see it all come to fruition like this and be able to experience the Little League World Series is amazing," Hollidaysburg manager Jim McGough said. "There are so many people back home in Hollidaysburg that have put a lot of time and effort into creating this opportunity for our kids. The fact that we reached the pinnacle of Little League Baseball; we couldn’t be prouder of them."
Hollidaysburg won three straight elimination games, shining all facets along the way. The team embraced its "One Team, 11 Strong," motto and lived it every time it took the field. Along the way, Hollidaysburg captivated its community and earned fans.
Hollidaysburg school district teachers sent the team a video Wednesday, expressing their pride in what the team was doing and little things like that meant the world to this team. Once players and coaches process this super run, those memories are the ones they’ll remember most.
"We just wanted to be sure that the kids know that the accomplishment that they’ve been able to achieve is amazing. For (coaches) John Rabel, Brad Hatch and myself, these last several weeks have been ones that we could never dream about. To be able to experience it has been amazing," McGough said. "It’s one memory that we’ll always have that we were able to achieve the journey and reach the Little League World Series and reach the (U.S.) Final Four in 2022."