SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
Play starting Sunday against the West’s Northern California. The boys from Wylie won the Regional at St. Michael’s in Santa Fe and are now on an uncharted course after having never before having advanced this far
By ARNIE LESHIN, Santa Fe Today
This time, there won’t be the usual caravan from the Abilene Wylie Junior Little League hitting the road to the district, state and regional tournaments.
For when you reach the International World Series, you’re in the hands of the Little League officials and you fly, which Wylie’s Texas West champions will be doing Friday as they head for the big show in Taylor, Mich.
No more stopping for gas, food and bathroom breaks. Now you eat on the plane as Little League provides the accommodations.
When landing in Detroit, which is nearby to Taylor, you are met by the Little League officials and board the bus for Taylor, which has played host to the Junior LL World Series since it began in 1981.
And then the Wylie boys switch from their purple and gold jerseys to the Southwest champion tops.
Texas West, which went undefeated in four games of the Southwest Regional played at the St. Michael’s High School Ballpark in Santa Fe, It will open its bid for another title by facing the West champions from South California’s Encinitas Little League at 5 p.m. Sunday.
The West team is always tough in each division of Little League, but in recent years, the team to beat is the Asia-Pacific champion. Last year, the representative from Shing-Ming Shaw LL from Chinese Taipei went 6-0 after turning back the West team, 9-1, in the championship game.
The previous year, it was Asia-Pacific again, with Chung Shaw LL from Chinese Taipei winning all five starts and defeating the Southwest team, 9-1, for the championship.
The year before, Asia-Pacific’s Taichung Chinese Taipei did not loss in four outings and again hoisted the championship trophy and stood behind the banner after winning, 9-1, over the West team. Next came Chung Shaw of Chinese Taipei to claim the title again with a 6-0 record.
So the last time another team finally won a game over Asia-Pacific, and the championship was in 2012 when Aruba North LL won, 12-10, over the Southeast champion from Rockledge, Fl.
Warning, though, the Chung Shaw LL Chinese Taipei team returns to defend its championship and try to bring Asia-Pacific its fifth consecutive title. But again, the World Series begins with each team at 0-0.
Joining Texas West will be USA Regional winners from the Central, the East, the Southeast, and the West. The International field has Asia-Pacific, Australia, Canada, Europe-Africa, Latin America, and Puerto Rico.
The Southern California team won its Regional at 4-1, the only setback coming against Northern California, but in the final, the Encinitas boys came back to defeat Northern California, 6-0.
Two Regional finals are still to be played Thursday — the Central and the Canada. The East winner was Kennett Square, Pa., LL. The Southeast winner was Rutherfordton, N.C.
In the International field, the Puerto Rico winner was Juan Antonio Bibiloni LL of Yabocoa, the South Czech winner was Brno Czech Republic LL, the Australia winner was Hills LL from Sydney, and the Latin-America winner was the San Francisco LL of Maracaibo, Venezuela.
