2014 Little League World Series

The 2014 Little League World Series, held in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, started on August 14 and ended on August 24, 2014.[1] Eight teams from the United States, and eight from the rest of the world, competed in the 68th edition of the tournament. This was the first World Series to feature entire rosters of players born in the 21st century. ESPN again broadcast the games. This also marked the 75th anniversary of Little League Baseball. All games took place at Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Little League Volunteer Stadium. Seoul Little League of Seoul, South Korea, defeated Jackie Robinson West Little League of Chicago, Illinois, 8–4 to win the championship. On February 11, 2015, Jackie Robinson West's wins were vacated after it was found that the team used ineligible players from outside the Chicago area. Therefore, all of Jackie Robinson West's results are now officially recorded as 0–6 losses (forfeit). Mountain Ridge Little League of Las Vegas, Nevada, was named the U.S. champion due to the vacating of Jackie Robinson West's wins.

2014 Little League World Series
Dates	August 14–August 24
Teams participating	16
Champion	Seoul Little League Seoul, South Korea
Runner-up	Mountain Ridge Little League Las Vegas, Nevada
Little League World Series

Teams

United States	International
Chicago, Illinois Great Lakes Region Jackie Robinson West Little League	Seoul, South Korea Asia-Pacific and Middle East Region Seoul Little League
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mid-Atlantic Region Taney Little League	Perth, Western Australia Australia Region Perth Metro North Little League
Rapid City, South Dakota Midwest Region Canyon Lake Little League	Vancouver, British Columbia Canada Region South Vancouver Little League
Cumberland, Rhode Island New England Region Cumberland American Little League	Humacao, Puerto Rico Caribbean Region Miguel Luzunaris Little League
Lynnwood, Washington Northwest Region Lynnwood Pacific	Brno, Czech Republic Europe and Africa Region South Moravia Little League
Nashville, Tennessee Southeast Region South Nashville Little League	Tokyo Japan Region Tokyo Kitasuna Little League
Pearland, Texas Southwest Region Pearland East Little League	Maracaibo, Venezuela Latin America Region Coquivacoa Little League
Las Vegas, Nevada West Region Mountain Ridge Little League	Guadalupe, Nuevo León Mexico Region Linda Vista Little League

Robert Hassell III - Nashville Tennessee South Nashville Little League Number 1 draft pick 2020 MLB Draft - (San Diego Padres) Ed Howard - Chicago Illinois Jackie Robinson LL - Number 1 Draft pick 2020 MLB Draft (Chicago Cubs) Jayden Struble - Cumberland RI Cumberland American LL - Number 2 Draft Choice - 2019 NHL Draft (Montreal Canadians)

Team Rosters

International

Asia-Pacific Seoul, South Korea	Australia Perth, WA	Canada Vancouver, BC	Caribbean Humacao, Puerto Rico	Europe-Africa Brno, Czech Republic	Japan Tokyo	Latin America Maracaibo, Venezuela	Guadalupe, Nuevo León
Dong Hwan Ahn Hae Chan Choi Sang Hoon Han Jae Yeong Hwang Jin Woo Jeon Dong Hyeok Kim Shane Jaemin Kim Gyu Heon Kwon Tae Min Moon Ji Ho Park Dong Wan Sin Chan Oh Min Jun Hyeok Yun	Etienne Charette Matthew Coleman Carter Dowling Calvin Eissens Benjamin Hewett Callum Johnson Blake Monaghan Javier Pelkonen Tarrant Reimers Nicholas Riley Callum Schipp Daniel Stephenson Zak Taylor Jordano Vivona	Rod Betonio Nico Cole Vicarte Domingo Madjik Mackenzie Ryan Mah Emma March Evan March Joshua Matsui Michael Oyhenart Joseph Sinclair Daniel Suarez Matthew Suarez	Emanuel Alicea Adrian Colon Jeremy Colon Felix Cruz Erick Figueroa Edward Gonzalez Joseph Gonzalez Oscar Lopez Nieves Peter Marquez Alvin Martinez Janiel Perez Yadiel Santana Joel Santos Abimael Torres	Vojtech Blaha Ondrej Chlubna Patrik Kadrnozka Marek Krejcirik Miroslav Krivanek Lukas Maly Tomas Oppelt Lukas Pacal Milan Prokop Martin Regner Roman Seifer Viktor Svida Adam Vavra	Joichiro Fujimatsu Taro Hashiguchi Keisuke Hirano Shozo Kamata Suguru Kanamori Yuta Komaba Ryoma Mitsui Arata Nishikawa Takuma Takahashi Ren Takeuchi Kengo Tomita Shingo Tomita Hayato Ueshima Hiromu Yokoyama	Andrew Andrade Jose Luis Atencio Diomel Bracho Jorge Cabrera Asnaldo Caicedo Jose de la Pena Andres Escalona Andres Inciarte Edgardo Marriaga Ronny Medina Alberson Mogollon Julio Rejon Greybell Salom Cesar Leonardo Vivas	Jesus Bernal Miguel de la Fuente Alex Garcia Juan Garza Encarnacion Gonzalez Gabriel Heredia Ruy Martinez Daniel Quiroz David Ramirez Rolando Reyna Luis Rodriguez Aldair Tellez Erick Vela Abraham Zambrano

United States

Great Lakes Chicago, IL	Mid-Atlantic Philadelphia, PA	Midwest Rapid City, SD	New England Cumberland, RI	Northwest Lynnwood, WA	Southeast Nashville, TN	Southwest Pearland, TX	West Las Vegas, NV
Jaheim Benton Cameron Bufford D.J. Butler Brandon Green Trey Hondras Joshua Houston Ed Howard Marquis Jackson Pierce Jones Eddie King Prentiss Luster Lawrence Noble Darion Radcliff	Scott Bandura Kai Cummings Carter Davis Mo'ne Davis Jahli Hendricks Erik Lipson Jack Rice Joe Richardson Tai Shanahan Eli Simon Zion Spearman Jared Sprague-Lott	Colton Hartford Matthew Hegre Jake Kostenbauer Mason Litz Logan Miller Bridger Nesbit Dylan Richey Adam Salter True Synhorst Daniel Vigoren Cooper Voorhees Blake Weaver	John Belisle Trey Bourque Nick Croteau C.J. Davock Addison Kopack Mason Matos Sean Meers Tyler Provost Tyler Shaw Jayden Struble Trey Thibeault Brendan Wright	Read Carr Robley Corsi Tygan Duncan Tyler Durbin Ben Grant Nate King Logan Kruse Ian Michael Tai Starchman Karsen Tjarneberg Matthew Turcotte Mason Vaughn Colton Walsh	Drew Byers Tyler Finley Ian Fry Brian Garcia Tyler Hammonds Robert Hassell Houston High Garrett Justice Blake Money Cade Reynolds Sam Slaughter Barrett Smith Eston Snider	Matthew Adams Clayton Broeder Landon Donley Hunter Dopslauf Joshua Gabino Michael Groover Bryce Laird Walter Maeker Jonathan Newman Layne Roblyer Brandon Sliwinski Cole Smajstrla Presley Smith Christian Terranova	Alex Barker Payton Brooks Dallan Cave Dominic Clayton Josiah Cromwick Zach Hare Justin Hausner Brennan Holligan Dillon Jones Ausin Kryszczuk Drew Laspaluto Andrew Matulich Brad Stone Josh Zuehlsdorff

Results

The draw to determine the opening round pairings took place on June 11, 2014.[2]

• Jackie Robinson West Little League subsequently forfeited all wins, including the U.S. Championship. Any of their wins are recorded in the below brackets as a 6–0 loss. The scores of their games, as played during the tournament, were as follows:

Jackie Robinson West Little League

Bracket	Round	Score	Opponent
Winners	Round 1	12–2 (F/5)	Washington
Winners	Round 2	2–13 (F/4)	Nevada
Losers	Round 3	6–1	Texas
Losers	U.S. Semifinal	6–5	Pennsylvania
U.S. Championship		7–5	Nevada
World Championship		4–8	South Korea

United States bracket

	August 14 – Game 2 Forfeit
	Illinois	0
					August 17 – Game 14 (F/4)
	Washington	6
					Illinois	2
	August 14 – Game 4 (F/5)
					Nevada	13
	South Dakota	2
									August 20 – Game 24
	Nevada	12
									Nevada	8
	August 15 – Game 6
									Pennsylvania	1
	Pennsylvania	4
					August 17 – Game 16
	Tennessee	0
					Pennsylvania	7
	August 15 – Game 8
					Texas	6
	Texas	6
	Rhode Island	4
																	August 23 – U.S. championship Forfeit
																	Nevada	6
	August 16 – Game 10
																	Illinois	0
	Washington	7
					August 18 – Game 18
	South Dakota	5
					Washington	4
					Texas	11
									August 19 – Game 22 Forfeit
									Texas	6
	August 16 – Game 12
									Illinois	0
	Tennessee	7
					August 18 – Game 20 Forfeit
	Rhode Island	8
					Rhode Island	6
					Illinois	0
													August 21 – Game 26 Forfeit
													Pennsylvania	6
													Illinois	0

International bracket

	August 14 – Game 1
	South Korea	10
					August 17 – Game 13
	Czech Republic	3
					South Korea	8
	August 14 – Game 3 (F/4)
					Puerto Rico	5
	Puerto Rico	16
									August 26 – Game 20
	Australia	3
									South Korea	4
	August 15 – Game 5
									Japan	2
	Mexico	4
					August 17 – Game 15
	Canada	3
					Mexico	5
	August 15 – Game 7
					Japan	9
	Venezuela	0
	Japan	1
																	August 23 – International championship
																	South Korea	12
	August 16 – Game 9
																	Japan	3
	Czech Republic	1
					August 18 – Game 17
	Australia	10
					Mexico	6
					Australia	2
									August 19 – Game 21 (F/5)
									Mexico	11
	August 16 – Game 11 (F/5)
									Venezuela	1
	Canada	0
					August 18 – Game 19
	Venezuela	10
					Venezuela	2
					Puerto Rico	1
													August 21 – Game 25 (F/5)
													Japan	12
													Mexico	1

Crossover games

Teams that lose their first two games get to play a crossover game against a team from the other side of the bracket that also lost its first two games. These games are labeled Game A and Game B. Their purpose is to provide the teams who are already eliminated with the opportunity to play a third game.

	Game A
	August 18 – Lamade Stadium
	Czech Republic	3
	South Dakota	5

	Game B
	August 19 – Lamade Stadium
	Canada	9
	Tennessee	12

Consolation game

The consolation game is played between the loser of the United States championship and the loser of the International championship.

	Consolation game
	August 24 – Lamade Stadium
	Japan	5
	Nevada	0

World Championship

	Little League World Championship
	August 24 – Lamade Stadium
	South Korea	8
	Illinois	4

2014 Little League World Series Champions
Seoul Little League Seoul, South Korea

Mo'ne Davis

Philadelphia pitcher Mo'ne Davis was the first American female to participate in the Little League World Series (LLWS) since 2004 and the first female to pitch a winning LLWS game. The 13-year-old Davis became the first Little Leaguer featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, as well as one of the youngest athletes to appear on the cover.[3]

Jackie Robinson West

Team Jackie Robinson West was the first all black team to compete in the tournament in several decades. Hailing from the Washington Heights area of Chicago, the team made it all the way to the World Championship before ultimately falling to a team from South Korea.[4]

As the team rose to prominence, Evergreen Park, Illinois, Little League official Chris Janes began to investigate personal information pertaining to players of the Jackie Robinson West team, finding that multiple players on the team lived outside the team's designated boundary region. He later discovered that the team had used a falsified boundary map which covered a wider area than other teams in the region had agreed to.[5] On February 11, 2015, based on Chris Janes' findings, the team's wins and U.S. titles were vacated for its use of ineligible players. The U.S. title was retroactively awarded to Mountain Ridge Little League of Las Vegas. The Great Lakes title was also stripped from Jackie Robinson West, and given to the team they beat in the championship, New Albany, Indiana.[5][6]

Legal action

In February 2016, parents of the team's members sued Little League Baseball, Janes, ESPN Inc., and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith. They alleged that Little League Baseball and JRW officials had deliberately obfuscated details about the players' eligibility to "reap the benefits of notoriety and media attention", did not grant due process, that ESPN's Stephen A. Smith made defamatory remarks on its program First Take that "directly accused the JRW parents of perpetrating a fraud against the Little League", and that Janes had violated their right to privacy by using license plates to identify the players' residencies.[4][7] A judge ruled that Smith's comments were a personal opinion protected by the Constitution, and removed both ESPN and Smith from the lawsuit in June 2017.[8] As of April 2018, the remainder of the lawsuit remains pending.[9]

References

1. "2014 Dates Set for the Nine Little League World Series Tournaments". Littleleague.org. November 18, 2013. Archived from the original on December 6, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
2. Communications Division (June 11, 2013). "Schedule Set For the 2014 Little League Baseball® World Series". Little League. Archived from the original on 2014-07-08. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
3. "Little League World Series star pitcher Mo'ne Davis makes cover of Sports Illustrated". KTRK-TV. Houston. 2014-08-20. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
4. Bonesteel, Matt (February 11, 2016). "Jackie Robinson West parents sue team, Little League, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith". Washington Post. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
5. Bowean, Lolly (February 11, 2015). "Coach who challenged JRW boundaries: 'It's tough, but the kids will be OK'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
6. "Little League strips U.S. title". ESPN. 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
7. Lee, William (February 12, 2016). "Jackie Robinson West parents file suit against league, ESPN, whistleblower". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
8. Lee, William (June 30, 2017). "ESPN, commentator Stephen Smith dropped from Jackie Robinson West lawsuit". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
9. Hyman, Dan (April 26, 2018). "America's Most Notorious Little League Team is Helping Chicago". Fatherly. Retrieved August 26, 2018.