LLWS 2015: TV Coverage, Live Stream Schedule, Predictions for Thurday's Bracket

The 2015 Little League World Series gets its first calls of "Play ball!" on Thursday, with eight of the 16 teams in action at Little League Volunteer Stadium and Howard J. Lamade Stadium in tiny Williamsport, Pennsylvania. 

Regional qualifying has left eight teams from across the United States and eight others from abroad to vie for the championship. The double-elimination tournament will yield a representative from both the U.S. and international brackets to compete in the championship game.

Thanks to consolation contests, no squad will play less than three games, hopefully making the trip to Pennsylvania well worth it for all involved.

Here's a look at the television and live stream schedule for Thursday's slate of action.

Thursday, August 20
Time (ET)	Venue	Team	Team	TV	Live Stream	Predictions
1 p.m.	Volunteer	Dominican Republic	Uganda	ESPN	WatchESPN	Dominican Republic
3 p.m.	Howard J. Lamade	Pearland West, TX.	Wilshire-Riverside, OR	ESPN	WatchESPN	Wilshire-Riverside
5 p.m.	Volunteer	Venezuela	Australia	ESPN	WatchESPN	Venezuela
7 p.m.	Howard J. Lamade	Bowling Green Eastern, KY	Sweetwater Valley, CA	ESPN2	WatchESPN	Sweetwater Valley

Note: Live streams can be found at WatchESPN.com.

Game to Watch

Dominican Republic vs. Uganda

After stomping through a tough regional that included teams from across Europe, 11- and 12-year-olds from Kampala, Uganda, are back in the LLWS for the first time since 2012 and only the second time overall. 

Uganda was eliminated from the 2012 tournament in just two games and face a tough squad from Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, the second-largest city in the country. The DR squad went 6-1 in the Caribbean regional, outscoring opponents 54-28 in that span and outlasting two teams from the host city of Willemstad, Curacao.

No doubt, the Dominican Republic is a bona fide baseball nation, making it a tough first litmus test for the Ugandan boys from AVRS Secondary School.

Uganda made history as the first African team to reach Williamsport in 2012 but were understandably a bit overwhelmed. Boston.com's Braden Campbell detailed the Ugandans' struggles:

"

After State Department issues kept the continent’s first-ever Little League World Series qualifier from traveling to the U.S. in 2011, the 2012 team finally made it to Williamsport. There, the athletically gifted but raw team found itself outclassed by the competition. None of the Ugandan kids had seen a curveball or fastball above the mid-50s before. Stanley recalls more than one player falling down in the batters’ box.

"

The squad lost 9-3 to Panama and were mercy-ruled in a 12-0 drubbing from Mexico, although they did manage a 3-2 win over an Oregon-based team in the consolation game.

This time around, a victory in the main competition would likely be seen as a huge step forward for the country. Certainly, it would be a cherished memory for the kids involved when all is said and done. 

 “I think we’re going to surprise people,” said Uganda coach Evan Petty, via Campbell. “People aren’t accustomed to a team from Europe or Africa really competing. I think we’re going to compete.”

The Ugandan boys can also take inspiration from the girls' softball team, also from AVRS, which made its Little League Softball World Series debut this year, per KOIN News: 

The Ugandan softball team went 2-3 in the tournament, bowing out in a 4-1 loss to South Snohomish, Washington.

In baseball, Uganda was the lone African representative in the Europe-Africa regional this year, but still went 5-0 with an absurd plus-63 run differential, outlasting 13 teams from countries scattered across Europe and much better developed economically than Uganda. Granted, the European continent is far from a hotbed of baseball talent, but it's an encouraging sign for Uganda, nonetheless.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The Dominican Republic may produce scores of MLB players, but the Little League teams haven't fared well in the tough Caribbean region, and this group is a likely underdog itself in Williamsport. Traditionally, Willemstad, Curacao, has dominated the Caribbean, even winning the whole tournament in 2004. 

The last time the DR sent a team to the LLWS was back in 1996, when the tournament consisted of just eight teams (four U.S., four international) in total. 

The game should be a fiercely competitive one as it's charged with meaning for both teams. Look for the Dominican Republic to win in a close, hard-fought contest.