Little League World Series 2017: Bracket Schedule, TV Info, Round 1 Predictions

The field is set for the Little League World Series, and the premier international minor baseball event is scheduled to get underway Thursday from Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The Little League World Series consists of two double-elimination tournaments featuring eight teams from the United States on one side of the bracket and eight international teams on the other side. The winners of those two tournaments will meet in the August 27 championship game.

The eight teams representing the United States are Grosse Pointe, Michigan representing the Great Lakes region; Jackson, New Jersey carrying the banner of the Mid-Atlantic; Sioux Falls, South Dakota representing the Midwest; Fairfield, Connecticut representing New England; Walla Walla, Washington serving as the Far West competitor; Greenville, North Carolina representing the Southeast; Lufkin, Texas representing the Southwest; and Rancho Santa Margarita, California playing under the flag of the West.

The eight international teams are Seoul, South Korea (Asia-Pacific); Sydney (Australia); White Rock, British Columbia (Canada); Santiago, Dominican Republic (Caribbean); Emilia, Italy (Europe-Africa); Tokyo (Japan); Maracaibo, Venezuela (Latin America); and Reynosa, Mexico (Mexico).

The tournament will open with four games on Thursday, including two international games and two games involving American teams.

Latin America will meet Mexico in the opener in a 1 p.m. ET game at Volunteer Stadium, while Jackson will take on Fairfield at 3 p.m. at Lamade Stadium. Canada will meet the Europe-Africa representative at 5 p.m. at Volunteer, while Lufkin will play Grosse Pointe at 7 p.m. at Lamade.

The first three games will be televised by ESPN, while the nightcap will be broadcast on ESPN2. All four games can be live-streamed at WatchESPN.

Predictions

Look for Reynosa to get the best of Maracaibo and the British Columbia team to have their way with Emilia.

The game between Jackson and Fairfield should be a classic matchup of excellent hitting vs. strong pitching. Jackson scored 43 runs during its four-game run through the Mid-Atlantic region and clinched its trip to Williamsport with an 8-3 win over Thurmont, Maryland. Tai Mann and Chris Cartnick hit home runs for Jackson in that clinching game.

Fairfield has rolled to a 16-0 record this summer, including a three-game run in the New England regional. Fairfield clinched its triumph with a 10-0 win over South Portland, Maine, and Ethan Wrighter threw 4.1 scoreless innings in that game.

While the New Jersey team has the booming bats, the strong pitching of Fairfield will get the job done.

Grosse Pointe has shown the ability to come from behind throughout the tournament, and that was also the case in its victory over Hinsdale, Illinois Saturday that clinched the Great Lakes region.

Lufkin defeated San Antonio in a taut 2-1 battle to win the Southwest Region. Hunter Dilsworth homered in the first inning of that game and earned the victory as he pitched five innings and struck out eight batters. 

A resilient Grosse Pointe should get the victory in this Thursday night encounter.