North Carolina Town Preparing To Host Little League Softball World Series
It’s funny what you remember remembering from childhood. For example, if you’d have asked me (as a boy in Texas) directions to the grocery store down the street, I’d have been stumped. However, if you’d have asked me what I knew about Williamsport, Pennsylvania, I would have immediately said, “Little League World Series.” Every boy who has ever put a bat on his shoulders in little league has had a thought of what it would be like to play in that and be on TV.
It stands to reason that little girls who play softball have that same ambition. And whereas boys dreamt of going to The Quaker State, girls have visions of Greenville, North Carolina dancing in their heads. Once again, Greenville is set to be the host of the Little League Softball World Series. The event will take place August 6-13 at Stallings Stadium. And games will be televised nationally on ESPN.
In the grand scheme of things, this is a comparatively new event. The boys little league championship has been contested annually since 1947. However, the Little League Softball World Series has now been around since 1974. Here’s how The Little League Softball World Series tournament field is comprised.
The champion of each of the eight United States regional tournaments competes in the Little League Softball World Series.
-Central Region (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
-East Region (comprised of two other regions: Mid-Atlantic and New England)
-Mid-Atlantic Region (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania)
-New England Region (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)
-Southeast Region (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia)
-Southwest Region (Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas East, Texas West)
-West Region (comprised of two other regions: Northwest and West)
-Northwest Region (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming)
-West Region (Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, Northern California, Southern California, Utah)
-Host Region (North Carolina)
Plus, the champion of each of the four international regional tournaments competes in the Little League Softball World Series:
-Asia-Pacific Region
-Canada Region
-Europe and Africa Region
-Latin America Region
On a local note, The Rowan County Little League softball girls have once again punched their ticket to Greenville after defeating the Mallard Creek Little League team 2-1 in the North Carolina Championship game. Rowan Country is a power in the sport having already won The Little League Softball World Series in 2015 and 2019. They were also finalists in 2016 and 2017.