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Ten American teams have written remarkable stories this summer. But as great as those are, their books remained unfinished.
What they do here at the Little League World Series provides the final chapters. And, win or lose, those chapters will provide fantastic conclusions. Because, the bottom line is every team here has hit the Little League jackpot.
There is no other destination this season. Dreams have become reality and these games at South Williamsport's Lamade Stadium are the reward for all the hard work and sacrifice it took to reach this point.
All 10 teams will receive royal receptions when they return home and the following is a quick look at how each squad reached this point and became their respective regions kings.
Boerne, Texas
Once upon a time, reaching the Series seemed like a far-fetched dream. Boerne had never won a state championship before 2024 but everything changed that year. Boerne captured that elusive crown and kept on winning, taking the Southwest title before reaching the U.S. Championship and finishing fourth in the world.
Now Boerne is back.
Boerne has displayed its mettle as well as its talent this summer, rallying from early tournament losses at states and regionals to win those crowns and make it two appearances in three years. Boerne became the first team to ever lose its first game at the Southwest Region and rally to win the championship, gathering momentum along the way and outscoring three opponents, 16-3.
Boerne hit .362 in Waco and seven pitchers excelled to help it thunder back following that loss. That included Kase Yarbrough and Joshua Cude combining on a four-hitter in a 4-1 championship win against Louisiana.
Phenix City, Alabama
Like Boerne, Phenix City is a repeat qualifier, but it's been quite a while since the Alabama state champions were here. That came in 1999 when current coach Cory Rasmus and his father, then-manager Tony Rasmus, helped lead Phenix City captured the U.S. Championship and reach the world final.
This is the first since that historic year that an Alabama team has reached the Series and it is a journey four years in the making. Eight of these players also competed as 11-year-olds on last year's state champion which won a game at the Southeast Regional before overpowering the field this year, and outscoring four teams, 25-12. Phenix City only trailed once at the Series and responded to that four-run deficit by roaring back and beating previously undefeated Florida, 8-5.
Phenix City scored at least four runs in each game and 11 players produced hits as it produced a .362 average. An aggressive team, Phenix City also stole 10 bases and had six players combine on a 2.00 ERA. Phenix City enters the Series undefeated and downed three state opponents, 37-3.
Hamilton, Ohio
The more things change, the more they stay the same in Hamilton which is making its fifth Series appearance since 1991. Manager Tim Nichting is here for a fifth time and coach Ken Coomer a fourth. Coomer managed the previous Hamilton team in 2021 when it reached the national championship.
Hamilton won its seventh state championship in eight years, outscoring opponents, 39-10 before going 4-0 at regionals, shutting out two opponents and outscoring them, 38-8. All but one player collected hits and Hamilton scored at least six runs in every game, twice overcoming early deficits.
Boone Treadway and Robert Frazier both played on last year's Hamilton team which reached the Great Lakes Final and provide valuable leadership in addition to their production.
Xander Kinkade had a huge regional, hitting .714 and belting two home runs, while driving in five runs. Josiah Infante hit a tone-setting first-inning home run in the championship against Kentucky, finishing regionals with six RBIs. Three pitchers combined on a no-hitter in an 11-0 win against Indiana and Hamilton scored 10 or more runs in all but the championship game.
Bridgewater,
Massachusetts
Two years ago, Bridgewater captured the league's first state championship. This group has taken the baton and continued making history there, overpowering the opposition while capturing the New England championship. There, Bridgewater was nearly perfect, downing three teams by a 26-1 margin.
Highlighting the team's balance, every player generated a hit at regionals. Four pitchers limited Maine and Vermont to only four hits in 17 innings and struck out 28. The defense was equally impressive, playing flawless and making no errors.
Bridgewater took some freight train momentum into regionals after fighting through the loser's bracket in both the section and state tournaments. Bridgewater avenged both those defeats in the finals and took its final two state playoff games, 17-0.
Bridgewater hit a collective .446 at regionals and six players hit .500 or better. Anthony Sullivan drove in five runs and added two doubles. The New England champions also displayed some nice speed, stealing seven bases.
Tacoma, Washington
Soundview Little League also is making its Series debut and rallied from losses in both states and regionals to storm back and win those championships. Tacoma avenged its regional loss when it built a seven-run lead and defeated Idaho, 8-5 for the Northwest championship, pounding out 13 hits.
Following a loss at states, Tacoma outscored five straight opponents, 39-7 and produced three shutouts. It also did not allow an earned run in the District 10 tournament with lefties Frankie McCable, Winston Weaver and Paxton Hanson all stifling the opposition. Kasen Workman adds another quality arm and Tacoma pitchers struck out 38 in 24 innings in San Bernardino.
Tacoma is equally deep offensively with all 13 players generating hits at regionals. No. 13 hitter Artie Hinzman ignited a big late-game rally in the opener against Oregon and Tacoma hit a collective .346. Seven batters also hit .333 or higher.
Tacoma is the sixth straight team from Washington to reach the Series. It navigated a demanding District 10 field which included two-time qualifier and defending champion Bonney/Lake Sumner.
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport Northwest Little League is making its third Series appearance and its first since playing here in 2004 and 2005. This also is the sixth Davenport team to reach South Williamsport, joining Davenport East (twice) and Davenport Southeast.
Davenport enters the Series undefeated but showcased its grit when it rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh and walked off with a 7-6 Midwest championship win against Wisconsin. The Midwest champions have excelled under pressure and also scored eight sixth-inning runs to erase a two-run hole and down Missouri, 11-6 two days earlier. Pitchers Cooper Thissen and Anthony Johnson combined for 44 strikeouts and 12 of the 13 players collected hits. Six players also hit .400 or higher.
Davenport won its first state championship since 2005 and steamrolled six quality opponents, outscoring them, 62-11. This was the third time in five years a Davenport team won the state crown and the fourth time during that span that a Scott County team did so.
West Chester,
Pennsylvania
The East Side Little League team keeps making history, now earning the program's first state and Mid-Atlantic Region championships. West Chester fought off a challenge from Delaware in the chamionship after blasting it and Washington, D.C. By an 18-1 margin in its first two games.
Going back to states, West Chester has won eight straight games and avenged its lone defeat when it swept two state championship games from Blue Mountain. This team offered a glimpse of things to come when it won last year's 11U state title. It also is the second straight Section 7 team to reach the Series after Glenmoore Eagle did so last year.
West Chester picked up where it left off at regionals after scoring 20 runs in its sweep of Blue Mountain. At Bristol, the Mid-Atlantic champions hit .359 and 11 of 12 players produced hits. Jack Cassidy provided one of the year's most memorable moments for West Chester when he hit a go-ahead, fifth inning grand slam against Blue Mountain in the state final.
Pitchers Cole Warner and Ryan Donnelly were electric at regionals, fanning 21 in 14 2/3 innings.
Henderson, Nevada
Make it two Series appearances for the Paseo Verde Little League in three years. It also is the third time in four years team from Henderson has made it here with the Henderson Little League coming in 2023. Henderson won a 4-3, extra-inning thriller against Utah to reach the Mountain Region final, then captured the championship with a dominant 9-2 victory against Montana.
Henderson surrendered just five runs in San Bernardino and outscored three teams, 25-5. Owen Guzman struck out 10 in five innings in that championship and Henderson collected nine hits, coming from seven different players. That included Carsynn Meyer who went 1 for 1 with a double and walk, joining Phenix City's Kinley Ramsus to form some girl power at the Series.
Henderson played U.S. Champion, Summerlin South from Las Vegas a year ago. Like that team, Henderson is well-rounded and has seven players who hit at least .333 at regionals. No. 10 hitter Payton Hinsen highlights that depth, hitting .429 with a double at regionals. Logan Edwards came up huge against Utah, leaving the bases loaded to preserve the 4-3 win.
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne and Davenport won two of the more exciting regional finals in recent memory with Bayonne fighting back from two four-run deficits and defeating Darien, Connecticut, 8-6 last Friday for the Metro crown. Bayonne again made blazed a new trail and now has won the first state and region championships in its league's long history.
Before Connecticut put it against the brink, Bayonne had overpowered most of its opponents this summer, outscoring three state opponents, 28-4 and its three section rivals, 37-4. Included in those six wins were four via mercy rule. Bayonne continued its surge in Bristol, scoring 28 runs in three games, while twice defeating Connecticut. Gabe Garcia hit .857 with six runs and Owen Feliz was as clutch as it gets in the final, going 2 for 3 with two doubles, five RBIs and the go-ahead fifth inning double.
Chase Klimkowski struck out nine over 4 1/3 innings of the opening win against Connecticut and New Jersey pitchers have allowed more than three runs just twice this summer.
Bonita, California
The Sweetwater Valley Little League is back at the Series after making its debut 11 years ago when it finished third in the country. This team looks every bit as dangerous as that one, romping through demanding district, section, state and regional fields. Going back to sections, Bonita has dominated its opponents, outscoring 10 teams, 83-9.
Included in that 10-game run are six shutouts. Bonita blanked Hawaii to reach the West final, then showcased its powerful offense three days later when it won the rematch, 11-3. It was the second time in three games that Bonita topped 10 runs and it finished regionals hitting .361. Five batters hit .500 or better as well.
A strong pitching staff surrendered just one run at both the section and state tournaments. Noah Kirk struck out 13 in 10 innings at San Bernardino and Isaac Ramirez threw a shutout against Hawaii. The pitchers are backed by a strong, fundamentally-sound defense. That unit help set an early tone in the final with a stellar play and generated a .974 fielding percentage at regionals.