2002 Little League World Series
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 16–August 25 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Valley Sports American Little League Louisville, Kentucky |
| Runners-up | Sendai Higashi Little League Sendai, Miyagi, Japan |
The 2002 Little League World Series took place between August 16 and August 25 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Valley Sports American Little League of Pleasure Ridge Park, a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky, defeated Sendai Higashi Little League of Sendai, Japan, in the championship game of the 56th Little League World Series (LLWS).
Notable players included 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Austin Dillon, a member of the Clemmons, North Carolina, Little League representing the Southeast region.[1] Current hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies AA affiliate, Hartford Yard Goats, Zach Osborne[2] was the tournament MVP for the U.S. and World Champion Valley Sports American Little League.
At the beginning of the 2002 tournament the Little League organization retired uniform number 11 for all teams playing in the LLWS from that year forward in honour of Fire Department of New York firefighter Michael Cammarata, a victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks,[3] who had worn that number during the 1991 LLWS.
Qualification
Between five and twelve teams take part in 16 regional qualification tournaments, which vary in format depending on region. In the United States, the qualification tournaments are in the same format as the Little League World Series itself: a round-robin tournament followed by an elimination round to determine the regional champion.
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Worth, Texas Southwest Westside Little League |
Manhattan, New York Mid-Atlantic Harlem Little League |
Valencia, Venezuela Latin America Los Leones Little League |
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Asia Sendai Hagashi Little League |
| Worcester, Massachusetts New England Jesse Burkett Little League |
Louisville, Kentucky Great Lakes Valley Sports American Little League |
Regina, Saskatchewan Canada North Regina Little League |
Willemstad, Curaçao Caribbean Pariba Little League |
| Webb City, Missouri Midwest Webb City Little League |
Aptos, California West Aptos Little League |
Hagåtña, Guam Pacific Central Little League |
Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico Mexico Country de Monterrey Little League |
| Waipio, Hawaii Northwest Waipio Little League |
Clemmons, North Carolina Southeast Southwest Forsyth Little League |
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Transatlantic Arabian-American Little League |
Moscow, Russia Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Khovrino Little League |
- Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States.
Pool play
The top two teams in each pool move on to their respective semifinals. The winners of each met on August 25 to play for the Little League world championship.
| Region | Record |
|---|---|
| Southwest | 2–1 |
| New England | 2–1 |
| Northwest | 2–1 |
| Midwest | 0–3 |
| Region | Record |
|---|---|
| Great Lakes | 3–0 |
| Mid-Atlantic | 2–1 |
| West | 1–2 |
| Southeast | 0–3 |
August 16
| New England | 2–3 | Northwest |
| Midwest | 0–1 | Southwest |
August 17
| West | 1–4 | Great Lakes |
| Mid-Atlantic | 9–3 | Southeast |
| New England | 2–1 | Midwest |
August 18
| Southeast | 8–11 | West |
| West | 10–4 | Southeast |
| Northwest | 0–8 | Southwest |
| Great Lakes | 2–0 | Mid-Atlantic |
August 19
| New England | 6–0 | Southwest |
| Midwest | 1–2 | Northwest |
August 20
| West | 2–5 | Mid-Atlantic |
| Southeast | 2–4 | Great Lakes |
International
| Region | Record |
|---|---|
| Latin America | 2–1 |
| Pacific | 2–1 |
| Transatlantic | 2–1 |
| Canada | 0–3 |
| Region | Record |
|---|---|
| Asia | 3–0 |
| Caribbean | 2–1 |
| Mexico | 1–2 |
| EMEA | 0–3 |
August 16
| Transatlantic | 3–2 | Canada |
August 17
| Pacific | 1–11 | Latin America |
| Mexico | 1–10 | Caribbean |
| EMEA | 0–7 | Asia |
August 18
| Transatlantic | 6–9 | Pacific |
| Mexico | 4–3 | EMEA |
August 19
| EMEA | 0–13† (4 innings) |
Caribbean |
| Asia | 11–0† (4 innings) |
Mexico |
| Canada | 3–9 | Latin America |
August 20
| Asia | 5–0 | Caribbean |
| Canada | 7–12 | Pacific |
| Transatlantic | 6–5 | Latin America |
Elimination rounds
| 2002 Little League World Series Champions |
|---|
Valley Sports American Little League Louisville, Kentucky |
Notes
- † Game ended by "mercy rule" (at least a 10-run difference through 5 innings)
Champions path
The Louisville Valley Sports American LL went undefeated on their road to the LLWS, winning all eleven of their matches.[4][5] In total record was 17–0.
| Round | Opposition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky State Tournament | ||
| Group Stage | Clay County LL | 7–1 |
| Group Stage | Morehead LL | 1–0 |
| Group Stage | Owensboro Southern LL | 6–4 (F/14) |
| Semifinals | Richmond LL | 11–0 (F/4) |
| Championship | Owensboro Southern LL | 3–0 |
| Great Lakes Regional | ||
| Group Stage | Hamilton West Side American LL | 5–0 |
| Group Stage | Bradley-Bourbonnais LL | 2–1 |
| Group Stage | Merrill LL | 4–1 |
| Group Stage | Grosse Pointe Farms-City LL | 3–1 |
| Semifinals | Hamilton West Side American LL | 2–1 |
| Great Lakes Region Championship | Brownsburg LL | 8–1 |
In popular culture
In 2024, the game and the Fort Worth team's emotional journey were dramatized in the feature film You Gotta Believe, starring Luke Wilson and Greg Kinnear. The film highlights the team's run in honor of a teammate's father who was terminally ill and portrays the semifinal as a pivotal moment in their path to Williamsport.[6][7][8]
The U.S. semifinal between Valley Sports American Little League (Louisville, Kentucky) and Westside Little League (Fort Worth, Texas) lasted 11 innings, making it one of the longest games in Little League World Series history. The dramatic finish included back-to-back home runs in the top of the 11th inning, with Zach Osborne breaking the tie and teammate Aaron Alvey following with another blast. Osborne was later named MVP, while Alvey also set the tournament's strikeout record. Pitcher Josh Robinson took the mound in the bottom of the inning and recorded the final three outs to secure the victory for Valley Sports.[9][10][11]
Notable performances
Several players from the 2002 tournament turned in performances that remain among the most memorable in Little League World Series history:
- Valley Sports pitcher Aaron Alvey recorded 44 strikeouts during the 2002 Series — the most by any player in a single Little League World Series to date. In the U.S. semifinal, he struck out 19 batters across nine no-hit innings before leaving under pitch-count rules.[12][13]
- Westside starter Walker Kelly matched Alvey's dominance in the same game, pitching nine innings of no-hit baseball with 21 strikeouts, one of the highest single-game totals in Series history.[14][15]
- Valley Sports shortstop/pitcher Zach Osborne was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. In addition to hitting the decisive 11th-inning home run in the U.S. semifinal, he posted a 0.00 ERA over 13 innings pitched during the Series, as noted in the official record book.[16][17]
References
- ^ Pockrass, Bob (August 16, 2013). "Austin Dillon used to pressure after playing in Little League World Series". Sporting News. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
- ^ "Yard Goats Coaching Staff to Return for 2025 Season". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
- ^ "Little League Honors a Hero". WNEP, August 21, 2017.
- ^ "Great Lakes Region Tournament Historical Results". Unpage.com. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
- ^ "Great Lakes Region Tournament". Unpage.com. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
- ^ "Luke Wilson and Greg Kinnear Lead an Inspiring Youth Baseball Team in "You Gotta Believe" Trailer". People. 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ "You Gotta Believe, Inspiring Story of 2002 LLBWS Team from Texas, Set to Hit Theaters on August 30". Little League. 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ "Sandlot star returns to baseball in "You Gotta Believe" trailer". Entertainment Weekly. 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ "Kentucky wins out on longest pitchers' duel in LLWS history". ESPN.com. 2002-08-21. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ "Louisville Is a 2-1 Winner". Los Angeles Times. 2002-08-22. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ "2002 LLBWS Game 26 Recap". Little League. 2002-08-21. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ "Little League Baseball World Series Records (PDF)". Little League. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ "Kentucky wins out on longest pitchers' duel in LLWS history". ESPN.com. 2002-08-21. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ "2002 LLBWS Game 26 Recap". Little League. 2002-08-21. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ "Little League Baseball World Series Records (PDF)". Little League. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ "Louisville Is a 2-1 Winner". Los Angeles Times. 2002-08-22. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ "Little League Baseball World Series Records (PDF)". Little League. Retrieved 2025-08-29.