Little League World Series 2015: Dates, Bracket, Live Stream and TV Schedule
Baseball fans are caught up in the major league pennant races as we pass the midpoint of August, and that means the stretch run and the postseason are just around the corner.
But baseball fans will also keep their eye on another brand of baseball, the type played by Little Leaguers in coming days.
The Little League World Series is held every year in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and it has a way of capturing the attention of sports fans from coast to coast.
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Last year, Philadelphia-area pitcher Mo'ne Davis grabbed the spotlight with her power and poise on the mound, while a gritty group of youngsters from the Jackie Robinson West Little League in Chicago represented the United States in the championship game against South Korea.
The South Koreans took that championship game, but they will not be back to defend the title. That means this should be a wide-open tournament when competition gets underway Thursday.
The Competition
Here are the 16 teams that will be competing in the Little League World Series.
| Team | Country |
| Tung Yuan | Chinese Taipei |
| Cronulla | Australia |
| White Rock South Surrey, British Columbia | Canada |
| Los Bravos de Pontezula | Dominican Republic |
| AVRS Secondary School | Uganda |
| Tokyo Kitasuna | Japan |
| Cardenales | Venezuela |
| Seguro Social | Mexico |
| Team | Region |
| Sweetwater Valley, California | West |
| Pearland West, Texas | Southwest |
| Wilshire-Riverside, Oregon | Northwest |
| Webb City, Missouri | Midwest |
| Bowling Green Eastern, Kentucky | Great Lakes |
| Northwood, South Carolina | Southeast |
| Red Land, Pennsylvania | Mid-Atlantic |
| Cranston Western, Rhode Island | New England |
Game Schedule and Television Dates, Times
The full game schedule is available on the Little League Baseball World Series website. All games will be played at Little League Volunteer Stadium and Howard J. Lamade Stadium.
All games will also be televised. ESPN and ESPN2 will show the majority of games. ABC will also televise several games, including the U.S. championship game, the international championship game and the World Series championship game.
Several of the games will be live-streamed on WatchESPN, and the schedule of live-streamed games will be available on the LLBWS website.
| Thursday, August 20 | |||
| Game | Round | Time (ET) | Matchup |
| 1 | Opening | 1 p.m. | Dominican Republic vs. Uganda |
| 2 | Opening | 3 p.m. | Pearland West, TX vs. Wilshire-Riverside, OR |
| 3 | Opening | 5 p.m. | Venezuela vs. Australia |
| 4 | Opening | 7 p.m. | Bowling Green Eastern, KY vs. Sweetwater Valley, CA |
| Friday, August 21 | |||
| Game | Round | Time (ET) | Matchup |
| 5 | Opening | 2 p.m. | Canada vs. Mexico |
| 6 | Opening | 4 p.m. | Cranston Western, RI vs. Northwood, SC |
| 7 | Opening | 6 p.m. | Japan vs. Chinese Taipei |
| 8 | Opening | 8 p.m. | Webb City, MO vs. Red Land, PA |
| Saturday, August 22 | |||
| Game | Round | Time (ET) | Matchup |
| 9 | Elimination | 1 p.m. | Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3 |
| 10 | Elimination | 3 p.m. | Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 4 |
| 11 | Elimination | 6 p.m. | Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 7 |
| 12 | Elimination | 8 p.m. | Loser Game 6 vs. Loser Game 8 |
| Sunday, August 23 | |||
| Game | Round | Time (ET) | Matchup |
| 13 | Double Elimination | 11 a.m. | Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3 |
| 14 | Double Elimination | 3 p.m. | Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4 |
| 15 | Double Elimination | 5 p.m. | Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 7 |
| 16 | Double Elimination | 7 p.m. | Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 8 |
| Monday, August 24 | |||
| Game | Round | Time (ET) | Matchup |
| Consolation Game A | 12 p.m. | Loser Game 9 vs. Loser Game 10 | |
| 17 | Elimination | 2 p.m. | Loser Game 15 vs. Winner Game 9 |
| 18 | Elimination | 4 p.m. | Loser Game 16 vs. Winner Game 10 |
| 19 | Elimination | 6 p.m. | Loser Game 13 vs. Winner Game 11 |
| 20 | Elimination | 8 p.m. | Loser Game 14 vs. Winner Game 12 |
| Tuesday, August 25 | |||
| Game | Round | Time (ET) | Matchup |
| Consolation Game B | 1 p.m. | Loser Game 11 vs. Loser Game 12 | |
| 21 | Elimination | 4 p.m. | Winner Game 17 vs. Winner Game 19 |
| 22 | Elimination | 8 p.m. | Winner Game 18 vs. Winner Game 20 |
| Wednesday, August 26 | |||
| Game | Round | Time (ET) | Matchup |
| 23 | Double Elimination | 4 p.m. | Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 15 |
| 24 | Double Elimination | 8 p.m. | Winner Game 14 vs. Winner Game 16 |
| Thursday, August 27 | |||
| Game | Round | Time (ET) | Matchup |
| 25 | Elimination | 4 p.m. | Winner Game 21 vs. Loser Game 23 |
| 26 | Elimination | 8 p.m. | Winner Game 22 vs. Loser Game 24 |
| Saturday, August 29 | |||
| Game | Round | Time (ET) | Matchup |
| 27 | Intl. Championship | 12:30 p.m. | Winner Game 23 vs. Winner Game 25 |
| 28 | U.S. Championship | 3:30 p.m. | Winner Game 24 vs. Winner Game 26 |
| Sunday, August 30 | |||
| Round | Time (ET) | Matchup | TV |
| Third Place Game | 10 a.m. | Intl. runner-up vs. U.S. runner-up | ESPN |
| World Series Championship | 3 p.m. | Intl. champion vs. U.S. champion | ABC |
Format
All teams that have made it to the Little League World Series will compete in a double-elimination bracket. All U.S. teams will compete against each other until a champion is crowned. The same holds for international teams.
However, once teams have two losses, they move to the consolation bracket, and those games can feature American teams competing against international teams.
No American team has won the Little League World Series championship since 2011. The representatives from Chinese Taipei have won 17 times.
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