Nevada Little League World Series roster: Inside Mountain Region team's MLB, NFL connections

David Suggs

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Nevada Little League World Series roster: Inside Mountain Region team's MLB, NFL connections image

Baseball's future finds a home at the Little League World Series, and this year's iteration of the competition is no exception.

The 2024 competition in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, has introduced countless baseball fans young and old to the next generation of the sport’s stars.

No team exemplifies this phenomenon more than Nevada’s Little League side, which represents the Mountain Region in this year’s competition.

Nevada is vying for a spot in the LLWS title game. Along the way, the team has captivated the hearts and minds of those flocking to Williamsport for its games.

Here’s what you need to know about Nevada’s Little League team and its professional sports connections.

MORE: Everything you need to know about the Little League World Series

Where is the Nevada Little League team from?

The Nevada Little League team — Paseo Verde Little League — hails from Henderson, the second-most populous city in Nevada.

Numerous athletes old and new are from Henderson, including former NBA All-Stars Jermaine O'Neal and Paul Pierce and Nationals slugger Joey Gallo.

MORE: Is LLWS standout Gunnar Gaudin related to Chad Gaudin?

Nevada Little League World Series roster at 2024 Little League World Series

Nevada's Little League World Series team consists of 12 players, the number of players on each team's roster at the 2024 Little League World Series.

Position

Name

Age

Birthplace

LF/2B/C

Gunner  Beranek

12 years, 3 months

Henderson, NV

2B/LF

Luke Lentz

12 years, 3 months

Henderson, NV

P/RF/3B

Gunnar Gaudin

12 years, 10 months

Henderson, NV

CF

Caleb Gomez

12 years, 3 months

Henderson, NV

2B/LF

Jimmy Foss

12 years, 8 months

Henderson, NV

C/CF

Parker Soranaka

12 years, 2 months

Henderson, NV

P/1B

Noah Letalu

12 years, 0 months

Henderson, NV

OF

Dominic Laino

12 years, 11 months 

Henderson, NV

P/SS/2B

Russell McGee

11 years, 7 months

Henderson, NV

P/3B/SS

Wyatt Erickson

12 years, 9 months

Las Vegas, NV

P/1B/OF

Liam Sparks

12 years, 3 months

Las Vegas, NV

P/1B/3B

Oliver Johnson

12 years, 10 months

Henderson, NV

Here's what you need to know about some of Paseo Verde's most prominent names during its 2024 tournament run:

Gunner Beranek

Beranek is a jack-of-all-trades in Adam Johnson's lineup, filling in at left field, second base and catcher when needed. He's shown his value across the diamond in Nevada's run to LLWS glory, leaping to reel in an unruly liner before sprinting to second to take two earlier in the tournament. It was just the sort of play that would make Marcus Semien proud.

Luke Lentz

Equally adept at playing left field and second base, Lentz has impressed with his batting chops in this year's tournament. He contributed an RBI in Paseo Verde Little League's 3-2 victory over Hawaii's Central East Maui on Monday.

Gunnar Gaudin

If Gaudin's name looks familiar, that's because it is. The 5-5 righty is the son of former Oakland Athletics pitcher Chad Gaudin.

The apple didn't fall far from the tree with the younger Gaudin, who showcased eye-catching velocity and efficiency in Paseo Verde's 3-2 win over Hawaii on Monday. Gaudin threw a complete game, whiffing five runners in six innings to earn the win. He was remarkably deliberate with his delivery; of the 78 pitches Gaudin threw on Monday afternoon, 58 were strikes.

“It’s fun for me,” Gaudin said, per Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I think I thrive in these situations. It’s not all me. I give credit to my dad, my coaches and my team for being behind me.”

Caleb Gomez

Gomez mans center field with vigor, trotting all across the pasture to turn away opposition batters. His game is eerily similar to that of Byron Buxton, Kevin Kiermaier and a young Mike Trout; Gomez possesses impressive range and a willingness to get himself dirty when needed. He gave fans a glimpse of his fielding star power earlier in the tourney, vaulting to secure a treacherous blooper.

Parker Soranaka

Soranaka has proved himself to be one of the Little League World Series' most talented backstops thus far. The 4-foot-9 catcher he set up the game-clinching double-play during Paseo Verde's 3-2 victory over Hawaii, firing an arrow to first after Gaudin produced a strike out to turn a strike 'em out, throw 'em out double play.

Noah Letalu

Equally adept at both the mound and the plate, Noah Letalu has made quite the impact for Paseo Verde in its foray in the 2024 Little League World Series.

Letalu's 5-foot-7 frame befits slugging excellence. Opposition pitchers know this all too well, with Hawaii attempting to pitch around Letalu with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth inning. It didn't work out. Letalu took first on a walk, driving in the eventual game-winning run in the process.

Russell McGee

McGee has become quite the sensation during this year's LLWS. A big reason why is his budding relationship with Yankees star Jazz Chisholm, who referred to the 11-year old as his "little brother" and vowed to help McGee make it to the bigs when the time is right.

Chisholm is McGee's favorite player. The similarities between the two are easy to see. Much like Chisholm, McGee too has starred at both second base and shortstop. He also moonlights as a pitcher. And according to Chisholm, the Paseo Verde standout reminds him of his younger self.

Wyatt Erickson

Erickson has been arguably Paseo Verde's most impressive performer thus far. A pitching dynamo who also offers strong defense in shortstop and third base, Erickson thrust himself into the national consciousness with a no-hitter against Utah to send Nevada into the LLWS.

He's since added to his legacy with glittering displays at the plate, shooting line drives left and right as one of Paseo Verde's most feared sluggers.

Who is Nevada Little League’s manager?

Nevada Little League’s manager is Adam Johnson, the assistant equipment manager for the Raiders. He has been with the organization for 19 seasons, first joining the club when it was located in Oakland. 

A native of Minden, Nevada, he originally taught history and geography in a junior high school before moving to Henderson with the Raiders in 2020. Currently, he oversees "practice equipment logistics, quarterback ball preparation, and practice and game apparel for staff, coaches and players."

While the Raiders have been getting prepared for a Super Bowl run this season, Johnson has been traveling back and forth from Costa Mesa, where the football club holds training camp, and San Bernardino, where the Paseo Verde team was clinching its spot as the Mountain Region team for the LLWS. 

"Sometimes it would take me an hour and 20 minutes to get there, sometimes longer," Johnson said to ESPN. "I was definitely fortunate to help [the Raiders] on those days, and being here with these kids, who have earned the right to play on, it's been magic."

The journey has indeed been magic thus far for Johnson and his crew. They’ll hope to keep conjuring up spells en route to a potential world title, the first in the state’s history.

David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.