Little League World Series 2019 teams, ages, pitch count & more: A guide to everything you need to know

Thomas Schlarp

Little League World Series 2019 teams, ages, pitch count & more: A guide to everything you need to know image

As most kids begin preparing for a return to school, a few select 11- and 12-year-old baseball players prolong their summer and head to South Williamsport, Pa., for the 2019 Little League World Series.

The 73rd Little League World Series lasts 10 days, beginning Aug. 15, and features a 16-team field consisting of eight U.S. and eight international teams, facing off in a double-elimination tournament that culminates in the championship game Aug. 25.

Last year, Hawaii defeated South Korea to win the the tournament, the second time in the last three years that an American team has won.

While not every player competing in the World Series is destined for careers in Major League Baseball, some of the game's more notable names such as Cody Bellinger, Michael Conforto, Randal Grichuk and Todd Frazier all share roots of playing in the Little League World Series.

MORE LLWS 2019: Full schedule | Scores

2019 Little League World Series bracket

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You can download a PDF of the full 2019 Little League World Series bracket here.

Little League World Series teams, rosters

Two brackets of eight teams — one international and one for the United States — compete in a double-elimination style tournament. The winner of each bracket faces off in a winner-take-all championship game. Each of the 16 teams represent geographic regions that the teams had to win a regional tournament in order to qualify for the World Series.

United States teams

Region Team Location
Great Lakes Bowling Green Eastern LL Bowling Green, Ky.
Mid-Atlantic Elmora Youth LL Elizabeth, N.J.
Midwest Coon Rapids Andover American LL Coon Rapids, Minn.
New England Barrington LL Barrington, R.I.
Northwest Sprague LL Salem, Ore.
Southeast Loudoun South American LL South Riding, Va.
Southwest Eastbank LL River Ridge, La.
West Central East Maui LL Wailuku, Hawaii

International teams

Region Team Location
Asia-Pacific Chung Nam LL South Chungcheong, South Korea
Australia Cronulla LL Sydney, Australia
Canada Coquitlam LL Coquitlam, British Columbia
Caribbean Pabao LL Willemstad, Curacao
Europe-Africa Emilia Romagna LL Bologna, Italy
Japan Chofu LL Chofu City, Japan
Latin America Cacique Mara LL Maracaibo, Venezuela
Mexico Epitacio "Mara" Torres LL Guadalupe, Nuevo León

Little League World Series location

Little League World Series games are played inside two stadiums in Williamsport, Pa. 

Howard J. Lamade Stadium has hosted every LLWS since 1959. In 2001, Little League Volunteer Stadium was added to accommodate an expanded field and more games.

Ages for Little League World Series players

This year's World Series will not feature any teenagers. A new rule, announced in 2015 but not effective until this season, changed the eligibility dates of players' birthdays from Dec. 31 to Aug. 31, thus eliminating any 13-year-olds. Last year, 85 of the 213 players were 13 years old.

For the first time, the tournament will instead consist of only players aged 11 and 12.

What is the LLWS pitch count limit?

One of the biggest factors in determining a team's ability to win is whether or not they have an ace on the mound. In an effort to protect young arms, Little League has a strict pitch count rule, requiring managers to strategically use their players wisely on the mound for the games and situations that matter most.

Any player on a team can pitch during a game, with the exception of someone who has played four or more innings as a catcher. A pitcher removed from the mound may remain in the game and play a different position.

Below is a chart of the different pitch-count thresholds and days of rest required. If a pitcher reaches a new threshold while facing a batter, the player can continue to pitch until the batter is retired.

# of pitches Days of rest
66-85 4
51-65 3
36-50 2
21-35 1
1-20 0

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 stadiums have twin fields about two-thirds the size of conventional MLB ballparks. The fences are 225 feet from home plate at all points of the outfield. In the infield, the pitching rubber is 46 feet from home plate with 60-foot basepaths.

The first girl since Mo'ne Davis in 2014 is playing

Maddy Freking of Minnesota Coon Rapids Andover American Little League will be the first girl to play in the Little League World Series since Mo'ne Davis pitched her way into the spotlight in 2014. Freking plays second base. She will be the 19th girl to play in the now 73-year history of the LLWS and is the first from Minnesota since Krissy Wendell in 1994.

Who won the LLWS in 2018?

Honolulu, Hawaii won the Little League World Series last year, defeating South Korea 3-0 in the championship game. Hawaii has sent four teams to the World Series title game since 2005. The state will again represent the West region with Central East Maui Little League earning a trip to the tournament.

U.S. teams are seeking to win consecutive championships for the first time since a stretch of five in a row from 2005-09. The U.S. is just 17-35 all time against international teams in the championship. 

List of past Little League World Series champions

Taiwan leads all countries and states with 17 LLWS titles. California leads all states with seven titles, trailing just Taiwan's 17 and Japan's 11 for the most all time.

Year Winner
1947 Williamsport, Pa.
1948 Lock Haven, Pa.
1949 Hammonton, N.J.
1951 Stamford, Conn.
1952 Norwalk, Conn.
1953 Birmingham, Ala.
1954 Schenectady, N.Y.
1955 Morrisville, Pa.
1956 Roswell, N.M.
1957 Monterrey, Mexico
1958 Monterrey, Mexico
1959 Hamtramck, Mich.
1960 Levittown, Pa.
1961 El Cajon, Calif.
1962 San Jose, Calif.
1963 Granada Hills, Calif.
1964 Staten Island, N.Y.
1965 Windsor Locks, Conn.
1966 Houston
1967 West Tokyo, Japan
1968 Wakayama, Osaka, Japan
1969 Taichung, Taiwan
1970 Wayne, N.J.
1971 Tainan, Taiwan
1972 Taipei, Taiwan
1973 Tainan, Taiwan
1974 Kaohsiung, Taiwan
1975 Lakewood, N.J.
1976 Chofu, Tokyo, Japan
1977 Kahosiung, Taiwan
1978 Pingtung, Taiwan
1979 Chiayi County, Taiwan
1980 Hua-Lien, Taiwan
1981 Taichung, Taiwan
1982 Kirkland, Wash.
1983 Marietta, Ga.
1984 Seoul, South Korea
1985 Seoul, South Korea
1986 Tainan, Taiwan
1987 Hua-Lien, Taiwan
1988 Taichung, Taiwan
1989 Trumbull, Conn.
1990 Tainan County, Taiwan
1991 Taichung, Taiwan
1992 Long Beach, Calif.
1993 Long Beach, Calif.
1994 Maracaibo, Venezuela
1995 Tainan, Taiwan
1996 Kaohsiung, Taiwan
1997 Guadalupe, Mexico
1998 Toms River, N.J.
1999 Hirakata, Osaka, Japan
2001 Maracaibo, Venezuela
2002 Valley Station, Ky.
2003 Musashi-Fuchu, Tokyo
2004 Willemstad, Curacao
2005 Ewa Beach, Hawaii
2006 Columbus, Ga.
2007 Warner-Robins, Ga.
2008 Waipahu, Hawaii
2009 Chula Vista, Calif.
2010 Edogawa Minami, Tokyo
2011 Huntington Beach, Calif.
2012 Tokyo Kitasuna, Tokyo
2013 Musashi Fuchu, Tokyo
2014 Seoul, South Korea
2015 Tokyo Kitasuna, Tokyo
2016 Maine-Endwell, N.Y.
2017 Tokyo Kitasuna, Tokyo
2018 Honolulu
2019 River Ridge, Lou.

Thomas Schlarp