DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Devin Aukes of the Midwest team celebrates after scoring in the first inning against the Mid-Atlantic team during the Little League World Series in South Williamsport.

Nine years ago, the Sioux Fall Little League did not exist. When it did form a year later, the new league featured one field.

Now, Sioux Falls Little League is one of the world’s premier organizations. It includes 10 fields and likely will need more space soon. This is a league which has enjoyed a meteoric rise and its 12U all-stars have attached another rocket to its ascension.

Reaching the Little League World Series for the fourth time can do that. Sioux Falls made its fourth Series trip in eight seasons when it captured a second straight Midwest championship and opened its Series with a 2-0 win against Pennsylvania. Sioux Falls remarkably reached the Series in its first year, 2017, and has only grown stronger ever since, this latest regional champion reinforcing that strength.

“Sioux Falls Little League has put themselves on the map, so every year the premium talent wants that Williamsport experience,” Sioux Falls manager Ryan Vavruska said. “That helps our league continue to grow, not only at 12U ball, but all the way to machine pitch.”

“We’re working with the city to expand more. We always have more kids that want to join Little League here in Sioux Falls,” league president Rob Butler said. “We haven’t had to turn anyone away yet, which we’re grateful for but we could have to split into two leagues if we keep growing. It’s a good problem to have.”

Certainly, no one is complaining back home. In a league once dominated by previous Series qualifiers Canyon Lake and Harney Little Leagues, Sioux Falls has become the dominant one. It captured a fifth straight state championship last month and has played in three Series over the past five seasons, including the last two.

The league is young, but this experience never gets old. Once again, Sioux Falls has been captivated by its all-stars who continue showing the world how good the baseball is there.

“My son (Landon) and I watched all the games last year and I said, ‘Just think, this could you,’ and all the parents had the same message, so the boys have been putting in all the time to make their dream come true,” Vavruska said. “It’s a great feeling seeing all the support from the parents and sponsors in Sioux Falls and everyone who’s donated and had kind words throughout the process. Our governor reached out, too, and that meant a lot.”

This team, like the other Midwest champions before it, means a lot to Sioux Falls. In a world full of division, this league’s all-star teams continue bringing the community together. That is regardless of one’s age. Adults love seeing the players fulfill their dreams, and the aspiring players dream of following in their footsteps.

Once upon a time, that was this group. The baton keeps getting passed to the next generation of Little Leaguers and the next one continues making monstrous splashes. Success often breeds success. When they were 11 a year ago, these players competed against the team which reached the Series. Doing so convinced them they had the ingredients to cook up their own Series run.

That pretty much is the story of the league’s existence. Right from the start, Sioux Falls has shown the future that reaching South Williamsport is attainable. Games must be one on the field, but that belief sure is powerful.

“One of the best things for me to see on a yearly basis is that kids keep coming back. They can’t get enough. These (current) boys couldn’t wait to hear the stories from last year’s team and about how much fun they had,” Butler said. “Several of them have younger brothers in the league and they are wearing the gear and cheering them on. It’s a lot of fun and creates a great atmosphere.”

Tremendous coaching also has helped that environment include such smashing success. From the youngest levels on up, players are taught the game the right way. Fundamentals are pounded home and players absorb lessons like sponges.

By the time they are 12, players have been taught so well, that it’s not really teaching as much as it is refining the skills developed. Highlighting the depth of excellent coaching, Sioux Falls four Series qualifiers have included four different coaching staffs.

The coaches’ names might change but the lessons they pound home continue reverberating. That helps the league continue reverberating and played a major role in Sioux Falls being the only U.S. Regional repeat champion this year.

“We have a really good crop of baseball coaches and I can’t give them enough credit. We were founded by a great group of coaches who help the kids keep getting better year after year after year,” Butler said. “Even this year, you can see from Game 1, to the end of the (regular) season how much better players got as the season went on. It says a lot about the coaches and the work they put in on a night to night basis.”

Those coaches also have ample playing experience, including Vavruska who played college baseball. They have used their experiences at higher levels to help Sioux Falls Little Leaguers achieve big-time success.

Seeds were planted eight years ago, and the coaches help keep this league blooming each season.

“A lot of coaches have played some kind of baseball and you get somebody with a good skill set who understands the game, so the kids are developing and understanding the game of baseball the way it’s supposed to be,” Vavruska said. “The league does a good job of putting the right coaches in place to make sure the kids get the right experience and it’s kind of evolved and snowballed to help make the 12U program so successful.”

This group soon will pass the baton toward the 11-year-olds who are looking at up at them now. Who knows what the future brings but the league is certainly in good hands. And this latest team has kept Sioux Falls right in the heart of the Little League map.

“You see people walking around and they’re wearing Sioux Falls Little League stuff. People love it,” Butler said. “There’s a lot of excitement and a lot of people happy for this group of kids.”