ASSOCIATED PRESS In this May 29, 2009 file photo, USA softball player Jessica Mendoza poses for a photo in the ESPN broadcast booth at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. Mendoza is part of the Little League World Series broadcasting crew this year.

ESPN sportscaster Jessica Mendoza grew up playing and loving baseball.

She carried that passion forward into her softball career, where she became one of the most decorated collegiate athletes in the sport through four seasons at Stanford. She went on to win multiple Olympic medals and later covered Major League Baseball, the Women’s College World Series and the Little League World Series as a broadcaster.

Though she didn’t grow up playing Little League, she’s taken pleasure in getting to cover the Series over the past seven years, both for how it brings the world together and the opportunities it’s offered young girls to prosper.

This year has been special in the latter regard, as Tennessee’s Stella Weaver finished her run with a tie for the most hits by a female in the Series with four, along with the record for the most hits by an American girl.

Prior to the team’s elimination on Wednesday, Mendoza had the chance to call her final two games. Seeing Weaver have so much success on the big stage made Mendoza emotional and proud to be a part of a sporting event that’s progressively becoming more inclusive.

“As a female who played baseball and as a woman who’s still in a male space, I really love seeing the women that have been here,” said Mendoza. “I know next year, it’ll be 50 years of women playing in Little League, whether that’s softball or girls in baseball.”

Weaver was the 22nd girl to be featured on a Series roster since 1984, and the 15th to be featured since the turn of the century. The tournament hasn’t had a female not involved since 2018. Weaver has now made it four tournaments in a row to include a female.

The series hasn’t just become more inclusive when it comes to gender either.

It expanded to 20 teams in 2021, which opened the door for new countries to make their Little League World Series debut. Notably, Cuba did just that this year, going 1-2 in its first crack at the tournament title and being a part of multiple exciting battles against Japan and Panama.

“I think just having the chance to look back and see how far the sport has come to be so inclusive, that’s important and has made me happy to be a part of this,” said Mendoza. “That kind of stuff has been the icing on the cake on what was already a very memorable event.”

There are so many aspects that Mendoza believes make this event unique, from the series itself, to the MLB Little League Classic, to the conclusion of it all with the World Series championship.

Since she began her coverage of the series, she’s had the chance to attend the Classic both as a sportscaster and as a fan. That’s one the few events where the two experiences barely differentiate, according to Mendoza.

“I feel like calling the games feels like being a fan,” said Mendoza. “That’s the beautiful part about the MLB Classic is that you don’t feel like you’re working or calling a game. You feel like you’re just enjoying it. It feels almost identical because you are a fan of that game, everyone is.”

She’ll get to call the World Series championship as well, a surreal experience considering the tournament’s build up.

There are a lot of unknowns entering the tournament. And though certain questions are answered as teams progress further into the bracket or get eliminated, it’s still crazy to look back on it once you’re at its finality.

“When I start thinking about the championship, it’s also the unknown. We start to kind of have fun trying to predict and look at all the different things,” said Mendoza. “I’m excited to see what team comes through and what they do. It’s a pretty special moment to see on Sunday for the championship.”

Though the event is now nearing its end, it’s once again been a great experience for those involved.

It’s given the kids on each respective team endless memories and a vast array of life lessons, along with providing them the chance to interact with people from across the world. For Mendoza, she can relate to that aspect of it, having participated in the Olympics in 2004 and 2008.

“I can imagine the chance that these boys and girls get to interact with different styles of play but also mostly just different cultures and languages, talking about anything from wiffle ball to MLB The Show, or even just what you did last night,” said Mendoza. “I think there’s so much life learning that these kids are getting beyond baseball. Being able to bring these countries here to Williamsport is the best part about it.”

It’s an event that continues to offer kids so many unique experiences. And with the way it’s been progressively evolving through the decades with its inclusivity, the sky is the limit for it in terms of bringing the world together.