Local Little League Team Qualifies For World Series

The Brisbane North Little League Division 1 baseball team is bound for the USA after claiming a place in the 2022 Little League Baseball World Series. 

The team took home the gold medal at the 2022 Australian Little League Championships in June and will set off for the States this month.

Brisbane North Region (BNR) Little League manager and head coach Keith Land said he felt excited when the team won gold at the national championships.

“They have all put in hard work and were professional on and off the field, which is not easy for 11 and 12 year olds, but they were rewarded,” Keith said.

The team triumphed over Sydney Little League team Hills 9-3 with player Khyden Wilson making the final catch, securing their berth in the World Series.

“We won the state title in April this year, which meant we went onto the national titles in June, played in Sydney, which we won -- defeating teams from all over Australia,” Keith said. “With this win, we booked a place in the Little League World Series to be played in the USA in mid-August.”

“It now means we play in the series against the 10 best international and 10 best American teams in the world. Every year since 2015, the winner of the national titles goes to the World Series but BNR has never accomplished this, so it is an historical event.”

The World Series takes place from Wednesday, 17 August to Sunday, 28 August at Williamsport in Pennsylvania. The team’s first game will be against Canada on 17 August.

“Our games will be broadcast internationally on ESPN and the boys will play in front of crowds ranging from five to 10,000 people at the stadium,” Keith said. “It is the 75th anniversary of the series and as such is a really big deal.”

The BNR Little League team is drawn from players in the Redcliffe Padres, Pine Rivers Rapids and Narangba Demons.

Keith has been coaching BNR Representative teams for over 30 years in all age groups. He manages the team alongside assistant coaches Chris Clem from Narangba, Shane Wilson from Pine Rivers and executive officer Lyndon Clem.