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Youth Sports

Little League Softball World Series: Meet the 12 Teams

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By: Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports

The Little League Softball World Series begins Tuesday, marking the second year in a row that the event has graced the fields of Greenville, N.C.

For the first time, the competition features 12 teams in a brand-new expanded bracket. A total of eight U.S. teams and four international teams are going for the title.

LLSWS TEAMS

Central: Daniel Boone Little League (Columbia, Mo.)

For the second straight year, Daniel Boone represents the Central Region. The team placed third last year and looks this year to become the first team from Missouri to win the tournament.

Mid-Atlantic: Delmar (Md.) Little League

A newcomer, Delmar recorded 48 runs across four games in the the first-ever Mid-Atlantic Region tournament. The defending state champion is the only team from Maryland to make it to the LLSWS.

Northwest: Issaquah (Wash.) Little League

Issaquah features a one-two punch in star pitchers Shaelyn Erickson and London White. The team went undefeated in its regional tournament to reach the LLSWS for the seventh time.

Southwest: Midway Little League (Hewitt, Texas)

A three-time LLSWS champion from Texas, Midway nearly missed the tournament after losing to Louisiana early in the Southwest Region tournament. The team rebounded in the championship game and aims to win the World Series once again.

North Carolina (Host): Pitt County Girls Softball Little League

Pitt County beat two-time LLWS champions Rowan to claim the first spot in Greenville in early July.

New England: Milford (Conn.) Little League

Another team with a dominant pitching duo, Milford went 4-0 in the first-ever New England Regional softball tournament. With 18 strikeouts over four victories, the team allowed just three earned runs.

Southeast: Chesterfield (Va.) Little League

This year’s appearance from Chesterfield marks the seventh time a team from Virginia will make the tournament. It’s the second-straight trip to the LLSWS for Chesterfield, which went 3-0 in the regional tournament, including a 4-3 against Rowan (N.C.) in the championship game.

West: La Verne (Calif.) Little League

The 22nd team from California to make the tournament, La Verne scored 30 runs in the West Region tournament and allowed just one. Pitcher Katie Coldiron has been outstanding in the circle, recording 44 strikeouts since the start of district tournament play.

Asia-Pacific: Negros Occidental Little League (Philippines)

The Asia-Pacific champion is trying to become the first team from its region to win the LLSWS.

Latin America: Guayama (Puerto Rico) Softball Little League

Guayama makes its first-ever appearance at the LLSWS and is the first Puerto Rican team to represent the Latin American Region since 2017.

Canada: St. Albert Softball Little League

The Canadian team did not drop a game in its regional championship run and has won 38 total gamest this season compared to just six losses. St. Albert logged two double-digit run games in the regional tournament.

Europe and Africa: Emilia Romagna Little League (Italy)

Emilia Romagna becomes the first Italian team in the tournament since 2019. The group is looking to be the first international team to win the tournament since 2001.

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Hyde sets Wheaton North scoring mark

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By Stan Goff
Daily Herald Correspondent

What Claire Hyde has accomplished on the basketball court for Wheaton North is quite impressive, but the way she acted during her crowning moment on Saturday was just as impressive.

When the Falcons senior guard knocked down a 3-point shot less than a minute into the second half, Wheaton North called a timeout to recognize the fact that Hyde had just broken the school record for most points scored in a career. But Hyde was not ready for a celebration, rather she wanted to get her team’s defense fired up for the next possession of the game.

There wasn’t much need to worry, after all, as Hyde’s shot put her team up 34-20 and they were well on their way to defeating their crosstown rivals 58-32. But it’s that extreme focus that has helped this 5-foot-4 dynamo pile up a historic total of points, as well as lead this year’s team to an 18-5 record and a 9-2 mark in the DuKane Conference.

“We called that timeout to congratulate her and she was like, ‘Hey we need to focus on getting a stop here.’ It just shows you what a great kid she is and what this whole team is focused on,” said Wheaton North coach Dave Eaton, who presented Hyde with the game ball following the win. “She’s just an all-around great player but also one of the best kids to ever where a Wheaton North jersey. She’s an unbelievable kid. As good a basketball player as she is she’s an even better person.”

Hyde doesn’t follow her individual stats very closely, but she was aware that she was within the school record of 1,381 points set by 2018 graduate Hannah Swider. She entered Saturday’s contest needing 13 points to set the record and tallied a game-high 12 through two quarters as the hosts built a 28-14 lead. Hyde hit on three shots from beyond the arch in the first half, showing off her range with a couple bombs from well beyond the line.

Having grown up on the south side of Wheaton, Hyde knows many of the Tigers players well and was even coached on a seventh-grade team by Wheaton Warrenville South coach Rob Kroehnke.

“It was crazy how it played out that it was that amount of points and it landed on this game,” said Hyde, who finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds. “I’ve always appreciated Kroehnke and all that he’s done for me. He’s always been such a role model in my life. I grew up on the South side so I obviously have a connection there.

“I did [know about the record] because my parents and the coaches were all talking about it. I was really nervous coming into this game, I’m not gonna lie. My stomach was turning but I was just focusing on getting the win and thinking let’s get another conference victory.”ADVERTISING

Hannah Struebing paced the Tigers (13-11, 2-8) with 14 points and Campbell Bastian added a trio of 3s, but the day belonged to Hyde and the Falcons.

“I got to coach Claire when she was in seventh grade, so I’m very happy for her,” Kroehnke said. “It’s well-deserved. I told her I hope I never have to coach against her again, but that I love you and I’m very happy for you.”

USA CRICKET ANNOUNCE WOMEN UNDER 19S TOUR OF ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

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  • A historic first ever tour for a USA Women Under 19 team as they will travel to tour St. Vincent and the Grenadines in January
  • Geetika Kodali to captain USA Under 19s in the ground-breaking series of 4 x Twenty20 matches vs Windward Islands U19 Women’s team

USA Cricket are incredibly pleased to announce a historic inaugural international tour for the USA Women’s Under 19s team as they are set to travel to the Caribbean next month to play against Windward Islands U19 Women’s team in a series of four Twenty20 matches. The Windward Islands comprise the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, St. Lucia and Dominica.

In partnership with both the Windward Islands Cricket Board and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Cricket Association, this tour is part of the wider long-term strategic partnership that USA Cricket has with Cricket West Indies (CWI), our nearest Full Member Nation of the ICC.

This tour is the culmination of a huge year for the Women and Girls game in the United States, with the newly launched domestic pathway, the Sistar Mortgage Women’s National Championships (Senior Women’s and Under 19) alongside the successful ICC T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier in Mexico and the recently-abandoned ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. The Windward Islands tour is another demonstration of the progress made on our USA Cricket Foundational Plan’s strategic focus on Women & Girls.  

USA Cricket Board Member and Women and Girls Committee Chair, Nadia Gruny said, “We are pleased to partner with the Windward Islands Cricket Board (WICB) and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association to create a T20 series that would be mutually beneficial to both our under 19 teams. In line with our recently launched plan to Shape the Future for Women & Girls in American Cricket to ‘Create increased competitive international match opportunities’, this tour will present a fantastic opportunity for some of the young talent who have stood out on our new domestic pathway this year to get international exposure and a competitive level of cricket in the Caribbean. On behalf of the board, I thank the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Government for the support of the development of women’s cricket in the region and everyone involved in helping to make this tour a reality in such a challenging time. Congratulations to all of the girls selected and we look forward to a successful tour.”

WICB President, Dr. Kishore Shallow said, “This exciting tour represents a shared vision of both USA Cricket and WICB to offer more development opportunities for female cricketers. We are grateful for the initiative and cooperation of USA Cricket to execute what I anticipate to be a fantastic series of competitive cricket.”  

USA Cricket Operations Director, Richard Done added, “USA Cricket is excited by the potential of our Under 19 group and the impact they are already having on our USA Women’s Team, most recently in Mexico and then in Zimbabwe. With women’s cricket a clear focus of the USA Cricket Foundational Plan, the future for women’s cricket in the USA is bright, and this tour will allow our next group of talented girls a chance to experience and learn more about travelling and playing internationally.”


The selected U19 squad does not include several of the U19 players who participated in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier (WCQ) in Zimbabwe. The WCQ was abandoned due to the identification of Omicron, the new Covid variant and growing travel restrictions on passengers coming from Southern Africa countries, including Zimbabwe. 

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2021 Sport 4 Life Grants Serve Girls of Color in 23 States, Expanding into the Native American Community

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FOUNDING PARTNER ESPNW, ALONGSIDE MORGAN STANLEY, THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY AND THE KATIE & PERRIE FUND, JOIN WOMEN’S SPORTS FOUNDATION IN EXPANDING THIS IMPACTFUL INITIATIVE

New York, NY (October 27, 2021) – The Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) announced the 2021 grant recipients of the Sports 4 Life program, a national initiative to increase sport participation and retention of African American and Hispanic girls, and now Native American girls as well. A total of $294,000 has been awarded to 42 organizations across 23 states, including Washington, D.C., helping to fuel and diversify sports opportunities expected to serve nearly 8,000 across 31 traditional and non-traditional sports.

Sports 4 Life was co-founded by WSF and espnW in 2014 based on the knowledge that while sports participation offers tremendous life-long benefits – from improved physical health and self-esteem, to better grades in school and enhanced leadership skills – girls of color are disproportionately excluded. The program seeks to close the gap by strengthening and expanding the opportunities for sports participation available to young girls of color. With the knowledge that Native American youth are disproportionately impacted by poverty, inadequate healthcare, along with a higher risk of obesity, WSF has expanded Sports 4 Life to serve Native American girls, including American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Additional funding provided by Morgan Stanley, The Walt Disney Company and the Katie & Perrie Fund is allowing Sports 4 Life to support 42 organizations this year, which will reach 7,898 girls — 87% of whom identify as Black or African American, Hispanic or Native American.

“The Women’s Sports Foundation believes that all girls – regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ability, zip code or family income – deserve equal access to the lifelong, transformative benefit of sports,” said Deborah Antoine, CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation. “We are proud of the Sports 4 Life initiative, its enduring impact, and our expansive reach to include Native American girls.  We are so grateful for our partnership legacy with espnW, and our shared imperative to positively impact the lives of girls across the country.” 

Sports 4 Life supports programs that help girls in four foundational areas – leadership, confidence, self-esteem, and perseverance – fostering girls’ physical and emotional health and academic success. Later this month, WSF will be rolling out a new discussion guide focused on developing girls’ confidence and supplementing last year’s guide on leadership. 

“At ESPN, we believe that we all have a very important role to play in creating a more inclusive and equitable society,” said Kevin Martinez, vice president of Corporate Citizenship at ESPN. “Sports has the ability to transform lives, and we are proud that with the Women’s Sports Foundation, our funding through Sports 4 Life is continuing to foster strong recruitment, engagement and retention of girls of color participating in sports.”

The Sports 4 Life initiative strengthens and expands sport participation opportunities for young girls of color through its grant making, leadership training and capacity-building efforts. Since its inception, the initiative has funded 170 organizations across 35 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, providing $1.7 Million in grants to 69,000 girls participating in 34 sports. Half of the girls reached by Sports 4 Life programming were not previously participating in sports with regularity, and nearly all girls were interested in continuing sports after participating in Sports 4 Life funded programming. 

Learn more and meet our 2021 grant recipients here.

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Multiple Hat Tricks Lead Helena High Girls Past Capital

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HELENA — Throughout her high school career, Helena High’s Rachel Plaster has had a penchant for finding the back of the net.

Prior to Wednesday’s crosstown matchup with Helena Capital, Plaster had scored four goals in seven games this season. But against the Bruins, the senior scored four goals, including a first-half hat trick in what wound up as a 7-1 win.

“It was a really fun day,” Plaster said after the win. “I think I was just finally playing to play. Instead of looking at stats and things like that. I feel like I got my mojo back a little bit — just playing hard, trying to win 50/50 balls and worrying how to progress the ball. I’ve had a bit of a mental thing, I just feel like every time I shoot, it’s been right at the goalie, but today, I just felt good and I’m just so proud of all my teammates.”

One teammate the senior can be particularly proud of is sophomore Avery Kraft, who netted a hat trick of her own on Wednesday.

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Ella Bruning: Five things to know about the Little League World Series breakout star

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BY CHUCK SCHILKEN | LA Times

Ella Bruning is making history at the Little League World Series.

The 12-year-old catcher for the Wylie Little League team from Abilene, Texas, is the 20th girl to take part in the annual event in South Williamsport, Pa., and the only girl in this year’s tournament.

With two hits in her team’s 6-0 win over Washington on Friday, Bruning became the seventh girl to get a hit during a LLWS game and only the third girl to have multiple hits in a game. She also drove in a run, stole a base and scored a run during the game.

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10 Reasons Why Kids Should Wrestle

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Wrestling is one of the most unique sports on the planet. It is definitely not the most popular sport, but that is quickly changing as more and more people become aware of the incredible benefits that a career in wrestling can provide.

1. Wrestling Develops Athleticism

Balance, strength, coordination, and overall body awareness is fundamental in having success in the sport. Year after year kids will start practice with gymnastics, calisthenics, and activities that develop these skills. It provides a foundation of athleticism.

2. Wrestling Promotes Personal Responsibility

As an individual sport the only person responsible for success or failure is the individual themselves. Wrestling teaches self-awareness and how to be responsible for your actions. What you put in is what you get out.

3. Wrestling Develops Mental and Emotional Resilience

Like no other sport, wrestling triggers the emotions of athletes. When you suffer losses and setbacks they are often painful and uncomfortable. However, through the process individuals can develop resilience that will last a lifetime.

4. Wrestling Teaches About Nutrition and Weight Management

Through competition athletes become aware of weight-classes. If done correctly, this can encourage athletes to learn about food and how proper nutrition can impact their performance.

5. Wrestling Develops Leadership Skills

Leadership is both verbal and nonverbal. A wrestling room has the ability to create an environment where leaders emerge. You will quickly see young athletes push each other, teach each other, and support one another.

6. Wrestling Teaches Discipline and Accountability

Discipline and accountability are requirements for achieving success in the sport of wrestling. There is literally no way to achieve ultimate success in the sport without choosing to do hard things even when you don’t want to and athletes must hold themselves accountable for their own actions if they want to succeed.

7. Wrestling Brings People Together From All Backgrounds and Cultures

Wrestling is an international sport and doesn’t require anything to participate. People from all corners of the planet and from all different economic and social backgrounds can compete in the sport.

8. Wrestling Promotes Self-Mastery and Focus

Wrestling has been described as the most difficult martial art to master. It takes years of practice and experience to understand the positions of wrestling. The sport teaches individuals to have a long-term perspective and requires a high level of passion to pursue the elite levels of the sport.

9. Wrestling Teaches Self-Defense

The best way to ensure that you’re not a victim of physical violence is by learning self-defense. Wrestling is the most important skill-set required in combat sports today because it has the ability to control where the battle goes. Knowing how to wrestle could very easily help anyone in a situation of self-defense.

10. Wrestling Can Provide Opportunities to Travel and Further Education

There are so many opportunities to travel the country and see the world while competing in youth and high school wrestling. In addition to traveling, there are endless opportunities to wrestle in college. Individuals can use the sport to create educational opportunities that might not otherwise have existed.

Awards Ceremony at Proctors Recognizes Standout Female Athletes

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By Jim Schiltz | The Daily Gazette

Recent Taconic Hills graduate Clare Howard couldn’t help but notice just how proud the parents, siblings, coaches and friends were of the individuals who were honored Monday evening at the second annual Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala at Proctors.l

Howard’s rooting section included her mom, dad, brother and sister.

“You could see how each family supported their athlete,” said Howard, who, after each individual was honored, earned the prestigious Grand Scholastic Sports Woman of the Year prize. “To be able to invite people shows how far we’ve come in this pandemic.”

The first awards ceremony held last August saw only two guests allowed for each of the young women who were honored for their outstanding athletic and academic achievement, service to their school and community involvement.

The 2020 Capital District Sports Women of the Year gala was originally scheduled to take place in May of that year at Proctors, but that was postponed due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and was instead held at The Desmond Hotel in Colonie in a low-key affair where the grand winners were sprinter and soccer player Lydia Ware of Averill Park in the high school category and soccer player Morgan Burchhardt of Saint Rose in the collegiate category. 

“This was the dream I had,” Capital District Sports Women of the Year president and founder Eric McDowell said as pictures were taken in a room adjacent to the GE Theatre, where the event was held. “Women’s sports deserve coverage and recognition outside the arena. This is what I wanted to do, and I wanted to do it here.”

Soccer player Hallie Klosterman of Russell Sage College was the Grand Sports Woman of the Year winner in the collegiate category. 

Also honored Monday were recent high school graduates Phoebe Fox (Glens Falls), Riley Gibbons (Germantown), Jenna Hoffman (Maple Hill), Anna Jankovic (Averill Park), Sara Langworthy (Warrensburg), Izzy Mancini (Galway),  Madison Relyea (Mayfield) and Kate Sherman (Mohonasen), rising high school senior Beth Irwin (Guilderland), and Naseyah Dix (Bryant & Stratton College).

“What an all-star team,” McDowell said before each of the honorees received a trophy and gave a speech. “What accomplishments.”

Howard, Taconic Hills’ five-sports participant and senior class president, said she was both surprised and excited when the grand awards were announced.

“I was expecting a lot when I got here, but when I heard the resumes, it was mind boggling,” Howard said. “I was blown away by what the girls had done. Each girl has so much to offer. We all could have won it for different reasons.”

“We read about them. Put out the releases,” McDowell said of the honorees. “To see them come to life was very, very special. What they did is amazing.”

McDowell said there were more nominations for the 2021 awards than in 2020, and he expects an even larger number next year.

“It’s growing,” McDowell said. “Word will come out and they will say, ‘We have someone, too.’ ”

Howard began competing in sports at Taconic Hills as a seventh-grader, and as the years passed she kept adding teams to her athletic resume. She capped off her record and award-filled scholastic career this school year by participating in soccer and cross country in the fall, swimming and skiing in the winter and track in the spring. She would have done the five as a junior, too, had that spring season not been taken away by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Clare is a remarkable young lady that manages her time well in order to be successfully involved in as much as she is,” Taconic Hills math teacher Angela Webster said in a pre-event testimonial. “She is one of the most all-around talented individuals I have met in my career. I admire her for her positive, calm demeanor in the classroom while being an aggressive, sportsmanlike competitor on the field.”

Howard will focus on the 400 hurdles at William and Mary, and while she has yet to declare a major, she has great interest in the math and science fields where the National Honor Society member has received several prestigious awards.

“How many hours are in her day?” McDowell asked.

The multi-talented teen also has an ear for music, and can play the piano, flute and cello. She has been involved with several different groups, and was invited to perform with the Empire State String Youth Orchestra.

“I was always active growing up, and that carried over to my teenage years,” Howard, who served as her class treasurer for three years and was on the school’s COVID-19 reopening committee, said prior to the awards gala. “I am just really thankful that with everything I’ve done, I’ve had my family and friends and everyone in school backing me up and supporting me.”

Howard graduated third in her class.

“I really want to be the best version of myself as I can,” the 18-year-old academic and athletic star said when informed earlier this year that she was among the 10 high schoolers to be recognized. “It’s rewarding to see it all pay off.”

Klosterman anchored Russell Sage’s run to its first Empire 8 women’s soccer championship last spring as a junior, while academically, she was named to Russell Sage’s President’s List, Dean’s List and Athletic Honor Society for the third time. This past academic year she was also named to the college’s Athenian Honors Society. The Wallkill High School graduate has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average throughout her college career.

“The key to my success is challenging myself to be the best I can as a student, athlete and person,” Klosterman said.

Klosterman was named the Empire 8 tournament MVP after the team captain assisted on the winning goal in the semifinals, and scored both the tying goal late in the second half and the game-winner on a penalty kick in extra time against Utica College in the title match.

“Oh my gosh,” Klosterman had said, “it was incredible. Everybody on the team, that was their goal. That’s what we were striving for. Did we have a perfect season? No. But, in my opinion, winning a championship doesn’t have to be a perfect season. If you have some upsets here and there, that’s where you learn. That’s where your growth comes from. That’s what can make or break a championship.”

Klosterman has already completed her undergraduate work at Russell Sage and is now embarking on a three-year graduate program in physical therapy.

News Channel 13 sports personality Ashley Miller served as the master of ceremonies and Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, who lived in Schenectady as a youth, was the virtual guest speaker. Indie-pop artist Annie Scherer of Voorheesville performed on piano at the beginning of the event and on guitar after a brief intermission.

Best of the Best: Future Gamecock, Local Standout Wins Third SC Gatorade Award

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Jayla Jamison added another top award to cap her high school career.

The Airport High School junior was named South Carolina’s 2021 Gatorade Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year on Friday — it’s the third straight year she’s won the honor

Jamison is the first three-time winner in South Carolina since J.L. Mann’s Brianna Nelson did it in 2008-10. She is the first Midlands athlete to win three in a row since Spring Valley’s Monique Hennagan in 1992-94.

Jamison won in the long jump and the 100, 200 and 400 meters in the 2021 S.C. track and field championships in May. She was the lone Airport runner who placed in the meet and helped the Eagles to a third-place finish in Class 4A. Jamison’s four state championships give her 12 for her career. She won four events in 2018 and 2019. Had last year’s championships not been canceled because of COVID-19, she would have likely added to her total.

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