Little League World Series 2016: Bracket Dates, Teams, TV Schedule and Format
The best youth baseball teams in the world are descending upon Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the annual Little League World Series.
Eight international teams and eight American teams will begin competing for the championship Thursday, and the event will conclude with the title game Aug. 28.
The international teams will represent Mexico, Australia, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe-Africa, Latin America, Japan and Canada.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Teams from the United States will represent the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, New England, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest and West.
Baseball Tonight took to Twitter to congratulate the teams that clinched spots in the tournament:
"What a day.
— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) August 14, 2016"
Five U.S. teams clinched a spot in the Little League World Series. Here are all of the final outs.. https://t.co/dyqBfjtuYv
| Aug. 18 | Mexico vs. Latin America | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Aug. 18 | Mid-Atlantic vs. New England | 3 p.m. | ESPN |
| Aug. 18 | Australia vs. Europe-Africa | 5 p.m. | ESPN |
| Aug. 18 | Northwest vs. Southeast | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Aug. 19 | Japan vs. Canada | 2 p.m. | ESPN |
| Aug. 19 | Midwest vs. West | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Aug. 19 | Asia-Pacific vs. Carribbean | 6 p.m. | ESPN |
| Aug. 19 | Southwest vs. Great Lakes | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
Rhode Island will represent New England in the Little League World Series, having beaten the Connecticut representatives by a 5-1 margin in the regional final. Colin Lemieux was the pitching and hitting star for Rhode Island. He pitched five innings, giving up six hits and one unearned run, and he also had two hits, including a home run.
Iowa punched its ticket as the Midwest representative after blanking Kansas 3-0 in the regional title game. Iowa has received excellent pitching throughout the tournament, and Kaiden Dinh was on top of his game against Kansas, allowing two hits and striking out eight batters in five innings.
New York defeated Pennsylvania 6-2 for the right to represent the Mid-Atlantic in the tournament. The New York team was led by Ryan Harlost, who drove in two runs. The victors are on a major roll, as they'll enter Williamsport having won 19 games in a row.
Syracuse.com shared this information about the Mid-Atlantic champions:
The Little League World Series has been a double-elimination tournament since 2010. The U.S. and international brackets are divided into two pools, and the winner of each pool will go into a single-elimination championship game within its bracket.
Elimination and double-elimination games will be played through Aug. 25. The international and U.S. title games will be played Aug. 27, and the Little League World Series champion will be determined the following day.
Every team is guaranteed to play a minimum of three games, as teams that lose their first two games will play one more consolation game.
Players between the ages of 11 and 13 are eligible to play in the Little League World Series. However, players who turned 13 before May are considered to be too old and are ineligible.
All games in the tournament will be televised by ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, including the consolation games. The consistent television exposure gives both the American and international teams a chance to build significant followings, and players often become well-known by the end of the tournament.
Japan defeated the Pennsylvania-based U.S. representative in the 2015 championship game.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
