South Dakota’s little league baseball team from Sioux Falls is in Williamsport, Pennsylvania this week preparing for the Little League World Series. Last week, South Dakota qualified for the national tournament during the Midwest regionals in Indiana.
The team won its semifinal game at regions to qualify for the ‘big dance,’ but did fall in the championship game to Nebraska at that same tournament. Because of the pandemic, no international teams are participating in this year’s event, and therefore two teams from each region were able to qualify for the Little League World Series.
“We were the undefeated team coming into the championship game. We just kind of had a flat one, but still were able to advance out here to Pennsylvania,” said Sioux Falls coach Mike Gorsett.
One of the bright spots for this year’s South Dakota team has been ace pitcher Gavin Weir. He’s pitched 25 innings this year for Sioux Falls and during that time has recorded 60 strikeouts and just two walks. In last Thursday’s qualifying win, he recorded 17 strikeouts on his way to a shutout performance.
Here’s a look at every Gavin Weir strikeout from today — so all seventeen of them!
— Nate Wek (@Nate_WekSDPB) August 12, 2021
pic.twitter.com/VbHvdWGyGe
“He’s special. I don’t know what other word to describe [Gavin]. He’s an unbelievable kid. He’s a great kid, he’s a great talented kid at the plate, and also on the mound,”Gorsett said. “There’s a lot of people talking about he may the best player, or probably is the best player at this tournament. And now you’re talking about a world-wide tournament, so he’s a talent that doesn’t come around very often.”
This year’s Little League World Series is going to look slightly different. For starters, it’s not open to the public to attend like in year’s past. Teams are being given 250 passes each that they can distribute to family and friends – so while the stands won’t be completely empty, it won’t be close to what the crowd is normally for the event. Additionally, teams aren’t given much ability to interact with each other when they’re not playing.
“We’re in a kind of dormitory. And I kind of look around and we’ve got Ohio next to us, and Nebraska next to us, and Michigan next to us, and Florida is next to us. Normally, all these kids are running through the rec center together, they’re all jumping in the pool together, they’re all normally interacting pretty heavily with one another,” explained Gorsett. “They don’t let us do that this year. We’re very much in our own little pod. South Dakota has to stay with South Dakota.”
This is just the fifth time in history that South Dakota has had a team represented at the Little League World Series. South Dakota will play Louisiana on Friday at 4 pm CT on ESPN.
