Little League World Series 2011: Team Pennsylvania and 5 Things You Need to Know

Not since 1990 has a team from Pennsylvania made it to a Little League World Series final. This year's Pennsylvania team (Keystone Little League, Clinton County) has a great chance of making it to the 2011 Little League World Series final.

With the pressure of being just a short drive away from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, this Mid-Atlantic Region team has drawn well over 125,000 people to the stadium to watch them perform in four games.

Pennsylvania is just three wins away from winning the Little League World Series. Here are five things you need to know about the Mid-Atlantic Region winners.

5. Pressure from the Home Folks

In Game 1 against Kentucky, Griffin McLarty pitched brilliantly in his complete game effort. However, Clinton County ran themselves out of several runs with base running mistakes.

Drawing more than 40,000 people for a Little League game would make any team nervous, but especially when 30-35,000 are rooting for the home team.

We must remember that these are just kids and sometimes it helps you, but sometimes it doesn't. The pressure has been on not only the kids, but the coaches as well. Clinton County's Coaches made several mistakes during the game.

Well over 125,000 people have watched Clinton County in four games.

4. Pennsylvania Has Dominated the 2011 Little League World Series Headlines

Sometimes I forgot that Venezuela was 2-0 (before losing to Mexico) or that Canada beat Chinese Taipei. The reason is because Pennsylvania, and their raucous fans, have been the main storyline of the 2011 Little League World Series.

With the team drawing so many fans and the games being so good, Pennsylvania has benefited from most of the success of the Little League World Series.

It is easily forgotten that they are just one of several still vying to be crowned champion.

3. Pennsylvania Is a Well-Rounded Club

Not only can the Mid-Atlantic Region winners from Pennsylvania hit, but they can also pitch and field. In four games, Clinton County has outscored opponents 19-6.

They showcased their ability to pitch in their 10-0 win over Louisiana and their 2-0 victory over Rhode Island.

Seven combined pitchers have posted a 1.71 ERA through four games and their defense has been superb too with just one error.

Also, they proved that they can hit the ball with their 10 runs against Louisiana and seven against Georgia. The team is hitting .345 collectively.

Pennsylvania is sound defensively, offensively and have shown that they are pretty slick fielders.

2. Pennsylvania Is Now Using the Pressure to Their Advantage

The kids from Clinton County have embraced the pressure that they once faced. Instead of feeling the heat, other teams are experiencing the pure excitement of playing in front of huge crowds for the first time.

“I’m not really nervous anymore because I have done this about a million times, now. I just have to go in there and stay focused and stay confident," said Pennsylvania's Kyle McCloskey.

Pennsylvania is feeding off of the energy from the home crowd, while other teams are feeling more pressure than ever before.

1. Pennsylvania Is a Team of Destiny

After losing to Kentucky in Game 1, Pennsylvania has been great in their past three games scoring 19 runs to just six for the opponents.

With the crowd—and seemingly the entire United States—on their side, Clinton County seems to be a team of destiny.

Pennsylvania hasn't had a winning team since 1960. Clinton County would be the perfect team to finally bring the championship back to its original home of Pennsylvania, only a short drive away.