Little League World Series teams, ages, pitch count & more to know for 2021 tournament

Williamsport, Pa., is about to be filled again with the best Little League teams in the nation. 

Sixteen of the best U.S. teams will start competing on Aug. 19 for the first Little League World Series action in nearly two years as the 2020 edition was called off due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

In the 73rd Little League World Series, Eastbank Little League from Louisiana won the title over Pabao Little Little of Curacao. With no international teams this year, an American team will be named champion for the third straight edition. 

MORE: 15 sports stars who played in the Little League World Series

Little League World Series teams

For the first time since 1975, there will only be American teams competing to win the Little League World Series. Since 2010, the U.S. has had states win the Little League World Series four times, while Japan (five) and South Korea (one) have won the remaining six. 

Instead of having one U.S. bracket and another international side, there will be the Hank Aaron championship and the Tom Seaver championship, named for the two Hall of Famer players who passed away over the past year. 

Here's a look at the sets of teams from the U.S. that will be vying for the 2021 Little League World Series title.

Hank Aaron championship teams

Tom Seaver championship teams

2021 Little League World Series bracket

You can download a PDF of the full of the full 2021 Little League World Series bracket here.

Little League World Series location

The Little League World Series will be back in Williamsport, Pa., with the games split between Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Little League Volunteer Stadium. The former has been hosting games since 1959, while the latter was added in 2001 to help provide more space for games. 

How old are Little League World Series players?

For the second straight Little League World Series, the only players that will be competing are those aged 11 or 12. 

In the past, players as old as 13 were eligible to compete on the teams in the Little League World Series. 

What is the LLWS pitch count limit?

MLB pitchers that face a starter's workload are often rested four to five days, though some pitchers, when called on, will go on shorter rest. That isn't the case in Little League. Pitchers are mandated to receive varying days of rest based on the amount of pitches thrown in an outing.

In addition, based on Little League regulations, 11 and 12 year olds cannot throw more than 85 pitches in an appearance. That is a step up from the 75 pitches for 9 and 10 year olds, and 10 pitches under the 95 limit for 13-16 year olds. 

Little League World Series field size

• 46 feet: Pitching rubber to home plate
• 60 feet: Length of basepaths
• 225 feet: Home plate to outfield fence

Both Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Little League Volunteer Stadium feature the same dimensions, with the mound being 46 feet from home plate, the basepaths being 60 feet in length and any point in the outfield checking in at 225 feet away from home plate. 

MLB stadiums feature mounds 60 feet, 6 inches away from the plate and the basepaths are 90 feet in length. 

Who won the LLWS in 2019?

The state of Louisiana took home its first Little League World Series championship in 2019 when the Eastbank Little Leaugue team from River Ridge defeated Pabao Little Little of Willemstad, Curacao. After defeating the Central East Maui Little League team from Hawaii in the United States bracket, Eastbank advanced to the championship and beat Pabao 8-0 in Howard J. Lamade Stadium.

This year, Louisiana will be represented by the Lafayette Little League team. 

List of past Little League World Series champions

Taiwan has dominated the Little League World Series stage as it has taken home 17 titles. The next closest is Japan, which has won nine. California has won seven titles — six from Southern California and one from Northern California.