Little League World Series 2011: Profiling Every Team of 2011 Series

With the 2011 Little League World Series set to start on August 18, most fans still need to be introduced to these kids who are thrown into the spotlight.

Most fans (myself included as of a week ago) know little about the teams competing in this year's Little League World Series and this article is the way to familiarize yourself with each team.

With no further ado, these are the teams who will be seen on ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3D and ABC.

Asia Pacific: Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei

Infielders: Chi-Ling Hsu, Ming-Chi Juan, Chia-Hao Ko, Chen-Tso Tseng, Chih-Cheng Weng, Chin-Hao Yang

Catchers: Meng-Chieh Hsieh,

Outfielders: Shih-Lung Chen, Chun-Yen Kuo, Sheng-Feng Tsai, Shu-Ming Wu, Yu-Kuan Wu

The Asia-Pacific team for the 2011 Little League World Series is from Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei. This team went 6-0 in their run to the final part of the Little League World Series and they look great.

The team is filled with line-drive hitters who hit the ball the other way if they need to. The team makes great contact and they rely on power-hitters like Chia-Hao Ko to produce runs.

Sheng-Feng Tsai also has some power, but his is mostly when he pulls the ball. Also, Chin-Hao Yang has opposite fielder power and Chen-Tso Tseng has shown flashes of power.

Aside from these four players, the other eight are all very good, compact hitters who get on base well.

Most Asian-Pacific teams in the LLWS are excellent pitching teams, including the team from Chinese Taipei from last season, that had several no-hitters and 10-run mercies.

This team has potential to win it all and they can compete with international powerhouses like Mexico and Japan.

Canada: Langley, British Columbia

Infielders: Trevor Alcos, Cole Cantelon, Ken Dubois, Riley Ens, Yi-An Pan, Yi-Fan Pan, Colby Rine

Catchers: Ian Burns, Connor McCreath

Outfielders: Nick Atkinson, Ian Burns, Trevor Miller

 

This year's Canadian team comes from Langley, British Columbia.

Langley played five games in order to qualify for a four-team playoff, going 4-1 with the second-best record in the nation. They lost their only game to the team from Ontario who went 5-0.

Langley scored 37 runs while only allowing 11. They won the final 11-0 against the team from Quebec to send themselves to the Little League World Series.

Langley is an all-or-nothing team that can put up 18 runs like they did against the team from Prairies or they could score two runs like they did against the teams from Vancouver and the Atlantic.

Their pitching staff is what is consistent, allowing no more than four in any game so far. While that is bound to change at some point, this team has a good combination of contact and power that is going to help them.

This team does not have much of a chance to win it all, but they should be very proud of how far they have come.

Caribbean: Oranjestad, Aruba

Infielders: Vaughn Bergen, Endry Brito, Dayson Croes, Naudy Flanegin, Zayne Koolman, Anthony Lacle, Giomir Leocadia, Albert Pop, Jaidwick Tromp, Junior Redondo, Gillian Wernet

Catchers: Artoir Herrera, Jaidwick Tromp

Outfielders: Vaughn Bergen, Andrew Croes, Artoir Herrera, Zayne Koolman, Raidell Munoz

This year's Caribbean team comes from Oranjestad, Aruba.

This team from Aruba was not an undefeated team, but after losing their first game they went 5-0, including a 24-1 victory over the Cayman Islands.

This Aruba team is another team that has had to fight to get here but might not last much longer.

This team is good but has a very slim chance of going all the way. They are going to challenge any team they face and they will certainly be interesting to watch.

Europe: Rotterdam, Netherlands

Infielders: Phayson Antonia, Rafael Blom, Beau Brauckmiller, Tom Brauckmiller

Catchers: Beau Brauckmiller, Kay Hugo, Tim van Toorn

Outfielders: Kay Hugo, Darryl Jamoena

Utility/Unlisted:  Aaron de Groot, Bram Dolman, Christopher Gijsbers, Marijn Jelsma, Diamond Silberie, Robert van de Koppel, Angelo Wicklert

This year's European team comes from Rotterdam, Netherlands, and unfortunately, about half of them do not have listed positions by Baseball Factory.

This Rotterdam team looked strong in qualifying, going 7-0 and outscoring opponents 50-7 in seven games, allowing more than one run in only one game.

Rotterdam destroyed every team they played, with a 7-1 victory in the final game being relatively close.

This team has good hitting and great pitching. They don't have to rely solely on pitching, but they certainly could if they were forced to.

This team has a lot of potential and it is going to be interesting to see just how far they go.

Japan: Hamamatsu City

Infielders: Seiya Fujita, Ken Igeta, Gaishi Iguchi, Ryota Matsushita, Takuya Okamoto, Yoshiko Suzuki, Shoto Totsuka

Catchers: Taiga Iwamoto

Outfielders: Asuya Otsuka, Hiroyasu Sugiura, Kaito Suzuki, Kazuto Takakura, Mitsuhiro Uchida, Sotaro Yoshida

This year's Japanese team comes from Hamamatsu City. Japan gave us the 2010 Little League World Series Champions, but those champions were defeated.

This year's Japanese team went 4-0, outscoring opponents 41-6 in their three games that led them to the LLWS. They won their semifinal game 11-1 and they won the final game 14-3.

This team withstood all opposition and they are now in the final stages of the LLWS. They were dominant in arguably the hardest area to win in when it comes to Little League and they are clearly one of the teams favored to win the tournament.

Latin America: Maracay, Venezuela

Infielders: Wilson Alvarez, Keyber Cardozo, Gabriel Francia, Martin Garcia, Yonny Hernandez, Neil Prieto

Catchers: Carlos Narvaez, Neil Prieto, Carlos Segovia

Outfielders: Omar Conoropo, Jothson Flores, Albaro Gaince, Keny Marquez, Carlos Narvaez, Numa Rodriguez, Elio Narvaez, Carlos Segovia

 

This year's Latin American team comes from Maracay, Venezuela.

These kids outscored opponents 50-16 in their six games, going 6-0 in qualifying. They won their semifinal game in a close 4-3 game over El Salvador. The team then won the final 13-6, allowing the most runs yet, but scoring 13.

This is Venezuela's 16th team in the LLWS in history. These kids are great players, but I can't see them matching up with Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific or Mexico.

Mexico: Mexicali Baja California

Infielders: Carlos Arellano, Victor Beuarano, Kenet Delgado, Hoswaldo Flores, Victor Guzman, Jorge Jacobo, David Ramirez, Humberto Rivera

Catchers: Daniel Guillen, Ulises Rodriguez, Bruno Ruiz, Alvaro Valdez

Outfielders: Victor Beuarano, Angel Figueroa, Alonso Garcia, Daniel Guillen, David Ramirez, Ulises Rodriguez, Bruno Ruiz, Alvaro Valdez

This year's Mexican team comes from Mexicali Baja California.

These kids went undefeated in a 12-team, 45-game tournament, which is not an easy feat. They went 6-0 in qualifying, outscoring opponents 81-7. They then won their semifinal game 12-3 and the final game 4-1.

This team had some of the best Little League teams in the world playing against them and they still slaughtered their opponents.

Seguro Social is looking very impressive and they are one of the better teams in the tournament. They face some tough competition, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them win it all (although I don't necessarily expect them to do so).

Middle East and Africa: Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

Infielders: Tanner Beachy, Dylan Ell, Jordan Hajazin, Julian Kinney, Bradlee Sumner, Jonathan Wilkey

Catchers: Brandon Carswell, Hadi Fadlallah

Outfielders: Brandon Carswell, Hadi Fadlallah, Jonathan Wilkey, Gustavo Leon, Shane Norton, Tyler Wilkins

This year's MEA team comes from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. This team actually lost to Uganda, but discrepancies in paperwork led to Uganda being unable to compete.

This team started off 4-0, outscoring opponents 29-3. They even beat Uganda 3-2, the team that they would eventually lose to 4-6 in the final game.

Saudi Arabia is not the best team in this tournament, there's no getting around that. I don't expect them to get very far, but this team has done well and needs to be taken seriously.

Great Lakes: La Grange, Kentucky

Infielders: Jacob Bates, Travis Faith, Grant Larimore, Justin Lowry, Jackson Mason, Nick McKinney

Catchers: Jackson Mason, Griffin McLarty

Outfielders: Jacob DuBroja, Zack Nicholas, Trey Wills

This year's team from the Great Lakes comes from La Grange, Kentucky.

These "Boys of Summer" went 3-1 in qualifying, losing 3-4 against Indiana before winning 14-7 over Ohio, 10-1 over Illinois and 10-0 over Wisconsin. They then won 8-0 in the semifinal and 3-0 in the final game.

This team has three big players to look out for.

First, Larimore is a great pitcher with an ERA of 2.25 and he hits .417 with a decent amount of power. Second, Bates is batting .737 and has an ERA of 0.00.

Lastly, McLarty is an all-around player. He has an ERA of 0.00, including a complete-game shutout in the final game, in which he allowed only one hit, did not walk any and struck out 13 batters in six innings. McLarty is not only dominant on the mound, he is batting .647 with some power and he hit a home run in the final game, essentially winning that game by himself.

This team has their Big Three and the rest of the team is also very good. This is yet another good American team and that is going to be a fun bracket to watch.

Mid-Atlantic: Clinton County, Pennsylvania

Infielders: Talon Falls, Alex Garbrick, Brandon Miller, Cole Reader, Eathan Watkins

Catchers: Wyatt Koch

Outfielders: Landon Breon, Mike Kiebler, Tyler McCloskey, Trebor Nicodemus, Michell Smith

This year's Mid-Atlantic team comes from Clinton County, Pennsylvania. This is the first "hometown team" in the finals of the LLWS for the first time in over 40 years.

This team played their final game in two parts, with ace Alex Garbrick starting the game and pitching three scoreless innings before being forced to stop due to rain. When the teams resumed play, Landon Breon was called upon to pitch and he picked up the win.

Wyatt Koch smacked a three-run home run in the game and that was the difference, as they held the opposition to only two runs.

This team is hitting .380 as a unit, with their top four hitters being Garbrick (.579), McCloskey (.467), Koch (.462) and Falls (.400).

This team is going to be a serious contender and their combination of excellent hitting and pitching gives them an edge.

Midwest: Rapid City, South Dakota

Infielders: Brett Beyer, Justin Kraemer, Kyle Maguire, Hayden McGriff, Riley McSherry, Zach Solano

Catchers: Timmy Paris

Outfielders: Seth Brewer, Tristan Deming, Cameron Fees, Kyle Maguire, Hayden McGriff, Riley McSherry, Erik Petry, Madden Pikula

This year's Midwest team comes from Rapid City, South Dakota.

These kids went 3-1 in qualifying, winning their first three games 15-1, 3-2 and 7-6 before losing their final game 12-8. They then went into a four-team playoff. They won their semifinal 7-2 and then won the final game 4-2.

South Dakota has great contact hitting, with eight of 12 players batting .400 or higher. This is a solid team filled with contributors and their solid pitching will help them along the way as well.

This team is balanced and not led by any one star.

New England: Cumberland, Rhode Island

Infielders: Austin Cabral, Colin Cannata, Thomas Faltus, Jacob Glod, Conor Lavallee, Ryan McCormick, Cameron Rosa, Christopher Wright

Catchers: Ryan McCormick

Outfielders: James Belisle, Colin Cannata, Stephen Dugas, Max Hanuschak, Connor Mastin, Matthew Murphy

This year's team from New England comes from Cumberland, Rhode Island.

This team went 2-2 in qualifying, beating Maine and Vermont, while being shutout by New Hampshire and Connecticut. They were ranked No. 3 in the four-team playoff in the incredibly tough New England region. They then upset the No. 2-seeded Connecticut team they were previously shutout by 8-7 and then beat the No. 4-seeded Massachusetts team 13-7.

Rhode Island's best batters are McCormick, who is batting .529 with three home runs and seven RBI, and Wright who is batting .389 with three home runs and 11 RBI.

This team does not have a lot of offensive production and they may not seem like the team to win it all, but we have seen that anything can happen on the baseball diamond.

Northwest: Billings, Montana

Infielders: Jet Campbell, Sean Jones, Connor Kieckbusch, Pearce Kurth, Ian Leatherberry, Cole McKenzie, Dawson Smith, Patrick Zimmer

Catchers: Ben Askelson, Andy Maehl

Outfielders: Connor Kieckbusch, Brock MacDonald, Andy Maehl, Dawson Smith, Gabe Sulser

This year's team from the Northwest comes from Billings, Montana. Big Sky became the first team from Montana to advance to the Little League World Series by beating Bend South Little League 7-1 in the Northwest Championship Game.

The team will look to Cole McKenzie and Patrick Zimmer to help them win the game. McKenzie came up big in their final game, going 3-for-3 with a grand slam. McKenzie has big-time power, hitting three home runs in the tournament, and going 13-for-19 with 11 RBI.

Zimmer is the team's best pitcher. He went five innings, surrendering only one run on four hits. He is going to need to keep pitching well if the team wants to win, as there were teams ranked higher than Big Sky in the tournament.

While any team could win on any given day, this team might need some help to go all the way.

Southeast: Warner Robins, Georgia

Infielders: Austin Burnette, Trey Odom, Logan Williams

Catchers: Josh Goodman, Jordan Hampton

Outfielders: Logan Arnett, Logan Fink, Jake Fromm, Jacob Giles, Evan Lasseter, Logan Morris, Ryan Thompson, Dillon Toms, Griffin West

This year's team from the southeast comes from Warner Robins, Georgia. This is the third time in five years that Warner Robins has made it to the LLWS and they will look to win it for a second time in those five years.

I'm not sure how they are going to play with only three infielders, but this is how Baseball Factory lists their players and positions.

This Warner Robins team has not had it easy. They went 3-0 in qualifying, but their scores were 7-3, 7-6 and 5-3. They were challenged in every game, until the semifinal, a game which they won 7-0.

In the final of the Southeast region, Warner Robins was trailing 0-2 entering the final inning of play. Fueled by a Jacob Giles two-run double, the team then scored four runs and punched their ticket to Williamsport.

Warner Robins has had some opposition, but do not let this make you think that they are not a good team. This team is full of talent and potential and their close scores just show how competitive the Southeast region is.

Southwest: Lafayette, Louisiana

Infielders: Joseph Battaglia, Hunter Bergeron, Haden Erve, Tyler Miller, Michael Guidry, Nick Padgett, Austin Primeaux, Zach Stritzinger

Catchers: Cain Castille

Outfielders: Nate Cox, Nicholas Fruge, Ethan Hines, Nick PadgettThis year's Southwest team is from Lafayette, Louisiana.

This year's team from the Southwest region comes from Lafayette, Louisiana.

They went 3-0 in qualifying, allowing a lot of runs but scoring even more. They then won their semifinal game 14-6 and then won the final 8-7. This team has a ton of offense, but their pitching needs to pick it up if they want to win it all.

This team scored 36 runs while allowing 23. Almost everyone on this lineup is hitting .250 or higher, with Primeaux leading the team at .700 (and he has 11 RBI). This is a formidable lineup up-and-down and their potent offense is going to have to carry them through the rest of the tournament.

West: Huntington Beach, California

Infielders: Justin Cianca, Christian Catano, Steven Kotkosky, Anthony Martinez, Nick Pratto, Jason Mayorga, Dylan Palmer, Braydon Salzman, Trevor Windisch

Catchers: Hagen Danner

Outfielders: Eric Anderson, Christian Catano, Jack Furry, Steven Kotkosky, Anthony Martinez, Jason Mayorga, Dylan Palmer, Ryo Takada

This year's team from the West comes from Huntington Beach, California.

This team went 4-0 in qualifying, the only team to do better than 2-2. They outscored opponents 34-5 in four games and then proceeded to the four-team tournament. They won their semifinal 5-0 and then won the final game 2-1.

This team has nine players hitting .300 or higher and they have solid hitting throughout the lineup. They drive in a good amount of runs and they have proven that their pitching staff is formidable to say the least.

Danner pitched a complete game three hitter. He allowed one unearned run and struck out 14, keeping his ERA at 0.00.

This team has a ton of talent and they could be representing the US in the LLWS Championship Game.