Davenport proving spectacular baseball played in Iowa
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Davenport Northwest Little League reached the Little League World Series for a third time this summer. It previously achieved that dream in 2004-05.
Davenport East also made consecutive Series appearances which opened this century. And Davenport Southeast was here four years ago.
Put it all together and one understands there is some pretty spectacular baseball which is played in Davenport, Iowa. The Northwest team has proven it again this summer, capturing its first state championship since 2005 before continuing the city's baseball dominance and reaching the Series.
"Little League is an institution in Davenport and it's super important and has been super important to me all my life," Davenport Northwest president Bryan Pearson said. "To be able to see these kids live this dream has been incredible. It's awesome."
So is this team. Davenport Northwest won its first two Series games, defeating California and New Jersey, while not allowing a run. It is the first Midwest team to reach the U.S. winner's bracket final since the Series went to double elimination and the first Midwest team to start 2-0 at the Series in the 2000s.
"It's great," Anthony Johnson Jr. said after throwing 5 2/3 innings of one-hit baseball against New Jersey while going 2 for 2 with a home run and four RBIs. "Getting two wins at the Little League World Series, the biggest stage of baseball feels amazing."
Numbers have dropped in some leagues across the country, but have remained constantly strong in Davenport. The question often is not if a Davenport league will make a deep all-star run, but which one.
Davenport East took its turn as the dominant program in 2000 and 2001, reaching the 2000 U.S. Championship, before Northwest took the reins. Southeast ascended to the throne in 2022 and has been among the state's most consistent programs. Davenport North has not reached the Series but is another league which cannot be slept on.
Westside Little League from Hamilton, Ohio holds the record for most Series appearances by one league at six. Still, Davenport having six teams from its city reach the Series sure says a lot about the baseball being played there, too.
"It's just a little pocket of really good baseball. I can't really explain it because it's not like we're down South and can play outside all year. It's kind of a hard rust-belt town and we just pump out baseball players," Pearson said. "You see some Little Leagues become less and less important, but it's stayed a huge part of our area and the Quad Cities for generations. It's remained a huge part of this community.
Davenport Northwest ended its 21-year state title drought earlier this month, but it's not like the league stopped producing quality teams during that span. Northwest remained competitive but championships are hard to come by.
That goes double when one is surrounded by great teams in its own town alone. Just winning districts proves quite a chore. It speaks volumes, too, that the only team to beat Northwest during its run to the Series was Southeast during that District 2 tournament. Its other district opponent was North Scott, which reached the 2003 Series.
Northwest defeated North Scott twice, then exacted revenge when it edged Southeast, 3-2 for the championship. Highlighting how strong Davenport is when it comes to Iowa baseball, Northwest, after surviving the District 2 gauntlet, outscored six opponents at states, 62-11.
Become Davenport's best team and one has a legitimate shot at becoming the state's and possibly the region's best. Northwest proved it again.
"The overall feeling is if you win districts, you have a very good shot of going to regionals and winning it," Pearson said. "We feel like if you get out of districts you've learned to go through the fire. Iowa, in general, has good baseball and that helps temper that iron to get you going."
While Northwest cruised through states, the lessons it learned during districts mightily helped it at regionals. There, the Midwest champions won a one-run thriller against two-time defending champion South Dakota, rallied from two down in the sixth to beat Missouri and scored three seventh-inning runs to rally for a thrilling championship win. Following its lone loss at districts, Northwest rattled off 13 straight wins as iron again sharpened iron.
Northwest again put Davenport upon the world's Little League map, but in doing so it shined a light on the entire city. Surviving the tests back home helped Northwest ace the exams which made it one of the world's best 20 teams.
While doing so, former rivals have come together. It splits into four leagues during the regular season, but when one makes a run like this, four becomes one. It's no longer about Northwest, Southeast, East or North.
It's Davenport, period.
"The community is rising to the challenge. It's fun to see the support," Pearson said. "It seems like every 10 years or so, someone achieves something like this and it's great to go to events and see the support from all the leagues and throughout Davenport and Iowa."
It makes sense that the three other leagues would be bonding with Northwest now. Yes, they are all from Davenport, but they also all make each other better. In that way, it's a team effort and every league has its fingerprints upon Northwest's success.
When the Midwest champions return home, expect them to be flooded by supporters from all leagues and from all of Davenport. Little League Baseball is king there and this year was Northwest's turn to ascend to the throne.
They are the new kings, but they are good kings. That's what makes this run so special for Davenport.
"They deserve everything that is coming to them. They're good kids," Pearson said. "I can't say enough about how proud I am of how they are representing their home town and the Little League I get to call myself president of.
"They are carrying themselves like champions and how you want champions to behave. With them and their coaches, they are good people first, who just happen to be excellent baseball players."