Little League World Series 2022: Teams and Top Players Remaining in LLWS Bracket

The 2022 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is down to four teams, with Curaçao and Chinese Taipei representing the International bracket and Hawai'i and Tennessee competing for national supremacy in the United States bracket.

The Hawai'i team has been a force of nature to this point, steamrolling opposing teams and outscoring them to the tune of 32-1. Included in that total is the team they will look to dispatch Saturday, which the squad from Honolulu beat soundly by 13 runs.

Curaçao will look to ride the arm of pitcher Jay-Dlynn Wiel to victory against Chinese Taipei, a team looking to add to its nation's legacy of holding the most championships in LLWS history.

Ahead of the high-stakes games, find out when and where to find the games and which players could prove key to Hawai'i or Tennessee's monumental victory in the bracket-concluding matchup.

Bracket and Schedule

AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar

Taiwan's Liao Yuan-Shu delivers a pitch against Panama during the first inning of a baseball game at the Little League World Series tournament in South Williamsport, Pa., Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)

Saturday, August 27

Asia-Pacific Region (Chinese Taipei) vs. Caribbean Region (Curaçao) (12:30 p.m., ABC)

West Region (Hawai'i) vs. Southeast Region (Tennessee) (3:30 p.m., ABC)

---

Sunday, August 28

International vs. United States (3:00 p.m., ABC)

Josiah Porter, Tennessee

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Nolensville, Tenn.'s Josiah Porter follows through on a grand slam during the second inning of a baseball game against Pearland, Texas, at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Josiah Porter is one of the top players remaining in this year's field, and without him, there is no telling if Tennessee would be in the United States Championship game against Hawai'i.

Porter, who is blind in his right eye, has been essential to the Nolensville team's journey through this year's tournament. According to LittleLeague.org, Porter hit .300 in Southeast Region play and struck out only once.

Through five games in the LLWS, he has hit for .400 with four hits, six RBI and a grand slam that helped propel Tennessee past Texas and into the finals of the US bracket.

Porter is the heart of the team, as evidenced by his fellow players crowding home plate to celebrate with him as he rounded third Thursday night. He is also one of the team's key players against a Hawaiian team that has given up just one hit in the entire tournament.

If Porter can produce at the plate and continue to drive in the runs, the Nolensville team stands a chance at a monumental upset the likes of which would live forever in the annals of LLWS, especially considering just how dominant the Honolulu squad has been to this point.

Cohen Sakamoto, Hawai'i

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Honolulu's Cohen Sakamoto (16) delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against Pearland, Texas, at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Cohen Sakamoto of Hawai'i will impact a game on either side of the ball.

A stellar pitcher who has yet to give up a hit in the tournament, he also fueled Hawai'i's 13-0 victory over the same Tennessee team they will play in the U.S. bracket title with a grand slam that gave the team a five-run lead.

He has five hits in seven at-bats, two home runs and nine RBIs to go along with 17 strikeouts and a zero ERA in nine innings on the mound. He was also one-half of a complete game shutout of the New York team.

Sakamoto has been as complete a player as there has been in recent memory, a difference-maker whose play has been a major part of what has made Hawai'i the unstoppable force it has become in this 2022 tournament.

To win the title that eluded the Honolulu team a year ago, he will have to continue his excellent offensive play, as well as his flawless pitching as the West Region winner has yet to be tested by any international team.

There is no reason to believe he will not.

Kekoa Payanal, Hawaii

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Honolulu, Hawaii's Keko Payanal (15) is greeted by teammates after hitting a two-run home run off Massapequa, N.Y.'s Danny Fregara during the fourth inning of a baseball game at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Friday, Aug. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Sakamoto may be the star of the Hawaiian squad, but Kekoa Payanal's offensive output has been equally as important to the team's dominance through four games.

He is a big hitter who has accounted for three home runs on four hits and four RBIs.

One of the most obvious attributes of the Hawai'i team throughout this year's competition has been its ability to score seemingly at will, overwhelming opposition with runs to the point that it becomes apparent quickly that there is no hope to overcome the deficit.

Payanal has been key in establishing those leads and will be vital to the team's efforts to replicate that in the two most important games they will play in this tournament.

Tennessee has already exhibited an inability to keep up with Hawai'i, as evidenced by its 13-0 loss on August 24. If Payanal can go yard just once and knock in a run or two, he could be the emphasis for another runaway win.

Against stronger pitching from either Chinese Taipei or Curaçao in the LLWS title game, it will be interesting to see if he has the same effect or if he is stifled and what impact that has, if any, on Hawai'i's ability to score.