All articles tagged with #little league world series
A sports columnist argues that the media’s astonishment at 12-year-old Kinley Rasmus’s LLWS performance reveals a broader pattern of treating young female athletes as novelties, prompting readers to question the hype surrounding the tournament.
Kinley Rasmus, a 12-year-old two-way star from Phenix City, Alabama, left a lasting mark at the 2026 Little League World Series even as her team was eliminated in the U.S. elimination semifinal. Over five games she hit five times and drove in three runs, while also recording 14 strikeouts as a pitcher, tying Mo'ne Davis for most strikeouts by a girl in LLWS history and setting the record for most hits by a girl. She became the 25th girl to play and the ninth to pitch in LLWS, coming from a baseball family, and her performance ensures her name will be remembered and will inspire future female players, even though Phenix City hadn’t reached Williamsport in 27 years.
Great Lakes defeated Southeast 11-2 in an LLWS elimination game as Kinley Rasmus was ineligible to pitch due to a pitch-count rest rule after throwing 54 pitches; she still reached on a walk. Ohio racked up 12 hits and eight walks, scoring four in the first, three in the third, and four in the final frame. Bryson Williams led the Great Lakes offense with three hits, while Williams and Josiah Infante combined to strike out six and allow two runs. Rasmus had recently set the LLWS female single-tournament hits record and tied Mo'ne Davis for most strikeouts.
Ohio defeated Alabama 11-2 in the Little League World Series, jumping out to an early lead with four runs in the first inning and pulling away with four more in the sixth; Kinley Rasmus did not pitch due to mandatory rest but earlier in the tournament tied the LLWS record for strikeouts by a girl, and Ohio advances to face Iowa next.
Kinley Rasmus, daughter of former MLB pitcher Cory Rasmus, is a breakout two-way star for Phenix City Little League at the 2026 Little League World Series, tying the girls’ LLWS records with 14 total strikeouts and matching the single-game mark with eight Ks, while also collecting five hits and RBI contributions to help her team reach the elimination rounds.
Kinley Rasmus has become the breakout star of the Little League World Series for Phenix City Youth Baseball (AL), delivering clutch hitting, standout defense, and two-way pitching. She went 5-for-10 in the tournament, with a .583 on-base percentage and a 1.183 OPS, including a record-tying eight strikeouts in a start and closing a 4–2 win with a key infield catch. Her dominant run has included multiple innings without allowing an earned run and a string of shutout performances, while her family’s long MLB pedigree adds to the hype as Alabama progresses through the lower bracket toward the U.S. Championship.
Kinley Rasmus went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run as Phenix City (Southeast) defeated Northwest 4-2 in an LLWS elimination game, with her second hit breaking the Little League World Series record for most hits by a girl; she did not pitch, and Southeast advances to face the winner of Great Lakes vs Metro.
Kinley Rasmus went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run as Southeast defeated Northwest 4-2 in an LLWS elimination game, and she broke the Little League World Series record for most hits by a girl with her second hit of the night. Southeast built an early lead, added two more runs in the third, and extended to 4-1 in the fourth before Northwest plated a late run. Southeast advances to face the winner of Great Lakes vs. Metro.
Kinley Rasmus is starring for Alabama's Phenix City Youth Baseball in the 2026 Little League World Series, part of a baseball family with deep pro credentials: her father Cory helped Phenix City reach the 1999 LLWS final before pitching for the Braves and Angels; her uncle Colby played 1,092 MLB games; and her grandfather coached the 1999 team. Kinley has already tied Mo'ne Davis's LLWS strikeout record for a girl, and she aims to follow her father's Williamsport path as Phenix City competes for the title in Williamsport.
Kinley Rasmus tied Mo'ne Davis's LLWS strikeout record with 14 in the tournament as Alabama outlasted Pennsylvania 6-5 in extra innings; entering in the third, she added six more strikeouts over the final four innings, allowed only two hits, and Brooks Cameron delivered the game-winning run with a bases-loaded hit in extras.
California’s Sweetwater Valley LL fell 1-0 to Iowa in the Little League World Series after a controversial third-strike call with one out in the sixth inning sealed the combined no-hitter. Iowa’s Cooper Thissen struck out 15 in 5 1/3 innings before leaving on a pitch-count, and Anthony Johnson Jr. finished the game. The disputed call has sparked social-media outrage, as California heads to the US elimination bracket while representing Davenport Northwest LL of Iowa’s Midwest region.
ESPN has updated its Little League World Series coverage for Friday, Aug. 21 due to weather-related postponements in Williamsport, listing the games that will air on ESPN networks with times and matchups, noting which games won’t be broadcast, and confirming streaming on the ESPN App with a subscription.
Opening day of the 2026 LLWS in South Williamsport featured marquee matchups, standout plays like a walk-off win for Bayonne, NJ over Bridgewater, MA, and opening ceremonies highlighted by Steve Garvey as teams from four regions begin their pursuit of the title.
OutKick’s Screencaps piece ties Charley Hull’s summer post to a broader debate about ESPN’s reliance on drama in youth baseball coverage, highlighting a throat-slash moment at the Little League World Series and the travel-ball pipeline that fuels television interest and sponsorships, while noting the media spectacle surrounding the sport.
ESPN will exclusively air all 38 Little League World Series games from Williamsport Aug. 19–30 across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, with Disney+ streaming Opening Day and the ESPN App providing access to all games; the schedule includes the MLB Little League Classic on Aug. 23, on-site Williamsport studio coverage throughout the tournament, enhanced production features, and a Championship Sunday on Aug. 30 on ABC, plus a related E60 profile and a Fan Zone experience.