Texas, California will fight for US crown today
Trending
Andy McRae grew up in Needville, Texas. He also has watched the town's Little League build itself up.
This is a town of only 3,018, but its Little League has become something mighty big. And now Needville is one of the country's top two Little League Baseball teams, as well as one of the world's best.
Saturday it competes for the biggest U.S prize as Needville plays El Segundo, California for the national championship at Lamade Stadium. What a climb it has been.
"Little League has done a lot for us in Needville and the community and I think we've helped to," McRae said following Wednesday's thrilling 1-0, nine-inning win against Washington. "You go to the field any day of the week and there's teams practicing. We only have four fields and every field in the middle of July was being used. That's what this means to the town."
El Segundo is not as small as Needville, but its journey to the U.S. Final is equally impressive. The West champions overcame both illness which impacted most of the players early in the tournament as well as an early tournament loss against Needville to win three straight elimination games. El Segundo earned its rematch after edging Washington, 2-1, Thursday night.
Following the Needville defeat, El Segundo manager Danny Boehle remained confident. He made no guarantees, but made it clear his team could still reach this point. Then his players went out and proved him right in impressive fashion, downing Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington in a four-day span.
"We look forward to hopefully getting another opportunity at that team (Needville)," Boehle said following a 5-3 win against Tennessee. "We're in a real good spot. I knew we would be. I told you guys be careful with us because we're deep."
Needville has grown deeper the last few years with the 2021 team paving the way and convincing the community's younger players that it was OK to dream as big as possible. That group went undefeated and romped to a state championship before it was disqualified at the Southwest Regional following a positive COVID test.
Many in Needville believed that team could have not only reached the Series but won the whole thing. Needville never found out, but this 2023 has continued carrying the torch and now has that coveted opportunity.
Now that's how one knocks the opening of the Friday Night Lights off the front page of a football crazy state.
"The league gets stronger every year," Needville Little League president Charlie Swanson said. "When it comes to putting teams together and picking all-stars, we don't have much to pick from. It's a good feeling for those guys."
"That's what it means to the town. They've really bought in and they want to grow," McRae said. "It's something to take pride in. We're a small community and we take pride in things like that."
The community certainly has taken pride in the way its team has played.
Needville earned its spot in today's championship after navigating a difficult field and winning close games against Pennsylvania, North Dakota, California and Washington. Ironically, as tight as those games have been, Needville has never trailed.
The Washington game was a battle of wills as much as a showdown between two tremendous teams as center fielder Easton Ondruch and Dalyn Martin made game-saving plays and Easton Benge and Ondruch combined on a four-hitter, while striking out 14.
There are no style points attached to victories. Needville does not care how it goes about its business as long as it wins and it has done that all summer.
"We're going to go in there and battle. We might win 20-0, we might lose 20-0. It's going to be whatever happens, happens," McRae said. "We don't boast. We're quiet. We're confident. We'll give them a shot."
Benge cannot throw today after going 85 pitches against Washington but every other pitcher is available. That includes DJ Jablonski who threw 5 1/3 fantastic innings and homered against El Segundo last Monday. Jablonski is 2-0 at the Series, surrendering just two runs and striking out 15 in 11 brilliant innings.
It is a tough matchup, but this also is the exact one that El Segundo wanted. This not only offers a shot at revenge but also of completing a journey three years in the making.
Those few years ago, Boehle shared with a reporter that he believed that group could reach the Series a few days. It took a lot of work, a lot of perseverance and a lot of big wins against outstanding teams, but El Segundo proved its coach right and has kept on going since arriving in South Williamsport.
"The pressure wasn't we're going to the World Series. The pressure was we're good; let's keep getting better and let's see what can happen when we take this mission on," Boehle said. "We're here. We're resilient. We've been down, we've been up, and had late-game heroics. We've done it all. That's what good baseball teams do. You find a way to win."
El Segundo has done that all but twice this season. It avenged its lone loss at states and now will try doing so again Saturday. Super pitching depth has allowed El Segundo to fight through the loser's bracket, as has a powerful offense.
That El Segundo has reached this point may have surprised some since it faced a long road following the Needville loss. But anyone who watched this team play is not surprised at all.
"Those guys are good. The top of their order is as good as any that has ever been through the Little League World Series," Tennessee manager Randy Huth said following its game against El Segundo. "That team has a really good chance to win the whole thing even though they're in the loser's bracket. They have a ton of arms; they have a whole lot of bats and those kids can play and they're very well-coached."
Huth is not exaggerating when he talks about the top five hitters in El Segundo's order. Brody Brooks, Louis Lappe, Jaxon Kalish, Lucas Keldorf and Max Baker are all having big Series. Brooks reached base eight straight times over three games at one point and is 8 for 11 at the Series. Louis Lappe has hit a Series-best three home runs and all five batters are hitting above .450.
"Once you get to the top of the order you just have to be careful. It's hard to get around these five guys. They're tough outs," Boehle said. "The faster the speed is the better these guys are. They just get the bat on the ball and when they hit it, it's hit so hard with the velocity that it's hard to make a play on it. It's just coming so quick.
"They're great."
Boehle and the community feel the same way about his entire team. Above all the talent and power, however, is some impressive resolve. El Segundo rallied from a two-run deficit in its opener against Ohio and won, 4-3.
The pressure was turned up about as high as can be Thursday when Washington pulled within 2-1 in the fifth inning. Baker stranded the go-ahead runners on second and third but Washington loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth.
Again, El Segundo delivered. Baker induced a game-ending fielder's choice and the West champions were moving on.
"We've been through battles and battles and battles with tons of teams from California in districts and sectionals, so that gives us an advantage to be in a situation like that whether we're up one or down one," Boehle said. "It gives these guys confidence to know that even if we're down one or two runs in that last inning they'll still battle and they know they can win. They've done it."
El Segundo is a bigger town than Needville, featuring over 13,000 more residents. And yet these teams are so similar.
Both are talented, resilient, determined and well-coached. Now one will become the country's best.
"To be here and have your son playing and all my adopted sons next to me, it truly is a blessing and I'm honored and I'm privileged to coach these young gentlemen," Boehle said. "Our mission was to go out and win the U.S. Championship. If we do that and get to the final game that's a win-win for me no matter what.
"We're going to battle to the end no matter what happens. We're glad to be here for the weekend."