The 16-team United States field is set to throw the first pitch

Let’s get right to the chase, to how the Little League Baseball World Series will be played this time at South Williamsport, Pa.

Same event, same site, but just to let you know, it’s an all-United States 16-team field because of COVID-19, and the other world-wide teams of ages 10-12 will have to miss this best of all the youth tournaments on the globe.

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And so it now offers a pair of eight-team brackets under the names of baseball Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Tom Seaver, with the first round games to be played on August 19th and 20th at the home of the World Series. As usual, it can be seen on ESPN, with the championship game probably viewed on NBC.

Three regional finals will be played today. In the Great Lakes, it will be Taylor Michigan against Hamilton Ohio, In the Northwest, Washington faces Lake Oswego Oregon, and in the Mid-Atlantic, Upper Providence Pennsylvania goes against Toms River New Jersey.

Toms River of the Garden State brought back memories of the 1974 LL championship when recently retired Major League Baseball’s Todd Frazier was the Most Valuable Player as Toms River won the title.

Now he was attending the games, and it was his nephew, Carson hitting the big blow for Toms River when it came up in the top of the sixth trailing Canal LL of Delaware, 3-0. The 12-year-old nicknamed “Big Dog” came through with a 2-run double to the right field fence to drive in two runs and bring a 5-3 lead that led to the 6-3 triumph.

In other regional finals, Nolensville Tennessee trailed 3-0 in the top of the sixth of the Southeast against Wylie LL of Florida, and came away with six runs to claim the region.

And in the Southwest, it was Louisiana-Lafayette behind 3-0 as it came up in the top of the sixth and scored 10 times to turn back Martin County Texas West, 10-3, and win the region.

On Saturday, Michigan had no problem defeating Ohio for the second time, 9-1, behind stellar pitching and the usual hit parade.

In the Mid-Atlantic final Pennsylvania again turned back New Jersey, this time at 10-3, to win the region.

In the Northwest region, Washington and Oregon played for the second time and again it was Washington with a win that brought the title.

And so Washington will be the Northwest A team, while Oregon becomes the B team from the same region.

Pennsylvania represents Mid-Atlantic A, and the the regions’s B team is New Jersey.

And in Great Lakes A, it’s Michigan on top, and in the World Series it will be Ohio as the region’s B team.