Team Profiles

As of August 16, 2011
Note: Updates, suggestions and corrections can be e-mailed to TaylorNews@aol.com.

USA POOL

USA Central Region Champion
North Canton Little League
North Canton, Ohio

1 Tristan Ross
5 Darien Koelble
6 Jacob Brewster
7 Jacob Hugill
8 Jacob Szendrey
9 Michael Magana
11 Sam Russo
12 Anthony Iero
14 Zach Manos
17 Christopher Machamer
22 Heath Gustafson
 
Manager Jon Lucas
Coach Dan Szendrey
Coach Jon Russo

Located about 144 miles (232 kilometers) southeast of Taylor as the crow flies or nearly 200 miles by car. North Canton is located south of Cleveland between Akron and Canton.

How they got here: The Ohio state champions arrived at the Junior League World Series with an 11-1 record. The North Canton Junior Little League all-stars went unbeaten in their state tournament and then went 5-1 in the 10-team Central regional tournament in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In the regional, North Canton was 2-1 in pool play, defeating the state champions of Michigan and Wisconsin, while losing to Indiana in between. Seeded third after that, Ohio defeated Iowa and Indiana to set up a rematch with Michigan – which just happened to be the Taylor South/North Central all-stars from the host city of the Junior League World Series. After falling behind 8-1, Michigan battled back but fell short as Ohio won the regional title game, 8-6. Also competing in the regional were the state champs of Missouri, Minnesota, Kentucky and Illinois, plus the host team from Fort Wayne. Ohio outscored its rivals, 59-3, in the regional.

History: This is North Canton’s first year in Taylor, but it’s the sixth time in the 31-year Junior League World Series history that a team from Ohio has played in Taylor. Previous Ohio teams came from Boardman (1981), Athens (1986), Hamilton (1994), South Point (1995) and Ashtabula (1997)… Six Michigan teams have played in the JLWS, but only one (Midland, 1991) was a Central region champ at the time. The other five Michigan teams in the series were state champs who were added to the mix for a balanced world tournament. Michigan ceased being seeded in 1990, when the Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) regional champion joined the World Series.

For the record: Only one Central champion has won the Junior League World Series. Boardman, Ohio, won the inaugural series in 1981. Boardman coaches and players returned in 2005 for the 25th annual World Series and participated in opening ceremonies.

USA Eastern Region Champion
Johnston Little League
Johnston, Rhode Island

1 Aaron Parfetto
2 Jacob Coro
3 James Picchi
4 Michael Caparco
5 Korey Fijal
6 Jacob Podmaska
7 Zach Coro
9 Armani Henderson
10 Joe Bongiovanni
11 Marc Conte
12 Lawrence Dureault
13 Gian Martellini

Manager Ed Bedrosian
Coach Paul Martellini
Coach Jerry Coro

Located about an hour south of Boston, Johnston is 603 miles (971 kilometers) east of Taylor as the crow flies or about 800 miles by car. It takes nearly 13 hours to drive from Johnston to Taylor.

How they got here: Johnston arrived in Taylor with a 13-1 record, but that one loss made life more challenging for the Rhode Island state champions during the 10-team East regional tournament in Freehold, New Jersey. Unlike the round-robin format of the Junior League World Series, teams in the East region compete on a two-loss-knockout format. Rhode Island won its opener against the state champions of Maryland, but then lost to Pennsylvania and had to fight its way out of the losers bracket. Johnston responded by defeating the state champions of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Delaware to set up a rematch with Perkasie, Pennsylvania. Rhode Island had to win twice to win the region – and did just that, winning 14-13 and then 18-7 to take the championship and qualify for the World Series. Also in the tournament were the state champions of Maine, New Jersey and New York, plus the host team from Freehold.

History: This is the first time a Rhode Island team is playing in Taylor. Jacob Coro placed the state flag on the Hill of Champions at World Series Field in Taylor’s Heritage Park on Monday night, signifying Rhode Island as the 29th state to compete in the World Series since it was founded in 1981… New Jersey has had the most teams win the East region and play in Taylor: 11.

For the record: Two Eastern champions have won the Junior League World Series. Waldorf, Maryland, went undefeated in 1985 and Salem, New Hampshire, went undefeated in 1997.
 
USA Southeastern Region Champion
Palma Ceia/Bayshore Little League
Tampa, Florida

1 Donovan Berry
2 Cole Gibbs
5 Ben Randall
6 Nicholas Kavouklis
7 Ronnie Ramirez
8 Dean Herman
10 Zach Rose
12 Carter Leslie
13 Jake Bak
14 Trent Wessel
15 Jake Woodford
18 Patrick Kiszla
19 Ryan Ellis

Manager Jorge Ramirez
Coach Bob Berry
Coach Paul Ellis

Located in west Florida, Tampa is 986 miles (1,587 kilometers) south of Taylor as the crow flies and about 1,170 miles (about 19 hours) by car.

How they got here: The Palma Ceia/Bayshore all-stars arrived in Taylor with a 17-0 record. To win the Florida state championship, they went 12-0 in their home state and then won the eight-state Southeastern regional tournament played in Greenville, South Carolina. Tampa defeated the state champions of West Virginia, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia and, in the regional championship game, Elkton, Virginia, in a rematch 6-4. Florida outscored other state champs, 49-9, in the region. The state champs of South Carolina and North Carolina and the host team from Myrtle Beach also played in the regional.

History: Seven years ago, all-stars from the Palma Ceia/Bayshore league won the Junior League World Series in Taylor. That year, 2004, saw Hurricane Charley caused heavy damage to Florida and delayed the team’s departure from Tampa. But once they arrived in Taylor, Team Florida had a record-setting series, capped off by the 5-2 win over Punto Fijo, Venezuela… Teams from Florida have won more Southeast region titles than any other state: nine, including the two by Palma Ceia/Bayshore. Two other Tampa teams played in Taylor: the Belmont Heights league (featuring future professional players Gary Sheffield and Derek Bell) in 1982 and Tampa Bay three years later. To date, Tampa has three world championships. The other teams from Florida to play in Taylor were Altamonte Springs in 1983 and 1988 and Palm Harbor in 2000.

For the record: Seven South/Southeast regional champions have gone on to win the Junior League World Series. Three of those teams were from Florida: Belmont Heights in 1982, Tampa Bay Little League in 1985 and Palma Ceia/Bayshore in 2004. The others were Spring, Texas (1991 and 1996); Lake Charles, Louisiana (1995); and Cartersville, Georgia (2002). Texas and Louisiana are now part of the USA Southwest region, which was created in 2002.

USA Southwestern Region Champion
Rosenberg Little League
Rosenberg, Texas

1 Jason Williams
2 Peyton Noser
3 Joshua Balba
4 Joe Fonseca
5 Chris Leal
7 Sammy Trevino
8 Colten Sulak
10 Cody Wilson
12 Jacob Castro
13 Wesley Thompson
14 Ray Sanchez
15 Jeremy Arriaga

Manager Stephen Sulak
Coach Richard Arriaga
Coach Jeff Noser

Located about 35 miles southwest of Houston, Rosenberg is 1,122 miles (1,806 kilometers) southwest of Taylor as the crow flies or more than 1,300 miles (about 22½ hours) by car.

How they got here: The Texas East state champions from Rosenberg arrived in Taylor with a 16-0 record, during which they outscored opponents 217-73 since the all-star team was formed this summer. The last four wins came in the Southwestern regional tournament held in Midland, Texas. Rosenberg scored in double figures in all four games of the double-elimination tournament, defeating the state champions of Texas West, 10-9; New Mexico, 13-9; Louisiana, 11-6; and Louisiana again in the championship game, 12-3. Also in the tournament were the state champs of Colorado and a host team from Midland.

History: For the second year in a row, the Texas East champion won the Southwest region and advanced to the World Series. Tyler, which played in Taylor in 2010, made it to the finals before falling to champion Taipei City, Chinese Taipei. While this is the first time a team from Rosenberg is playing in Taylor, it’s the 14th time a team from Texas is playing in the 31-year history of the JLWS. Teams from Texas have won the world championship three times… The Southwest region was formed in 2002 and the first Southwest regional champion was Lake Charles, Louisiana. After that, Texas teams came to Taylor six straight years: Sugar (2003), Fort Worth (2004 and 2005), El Campo (2006), Laredo (2007) and Alvin (2008). El Campo won the world championship. Albuquerque, New Mexico, broke the Texas streak in 2009 by winning the Southwest region and qualifying to play in Taylor… When Texas competed in the South region, the state was represented in the World Series by Brenham (1984), San Antonio (1990), Spring (1991 and 1996), Richmond (1997) and Waco (1998). The Northwest 45 League in Spring, Texas, won the world championship in both 1991 and 1996.

For the record: Teams in the Southwest Region were part of either the South or the West region before Little League International determined a new region was needed due to the popularity of baseball in the area… The Rosenberg team shows its support for the fight against breast cancer by wearing some pink batting helmets during games.

USA Western Region Champion
Sunnyside Little League
Tucson, Arizona

1 Juan Rodriguez
2 Carlos Moreno
3 Ernest Bonillas
5 Hulises Pelayo
7 Rudy Altamirano III
9 Emilio Castillo
10 Augustine Otero
13 Jesus Bracamontes
14 Ramon Moreno V
20 Eduardo Bacame
21 Daniel Burrola

Manager Josue Guadarrama
Coach Alfred Pesqueira Sr.
Coach Michael Peralta

Located in Southeast Arizona, Tucson is 1,663 miles (2,677 kilometers) southwest of Taylor as the crow flies. If you drove, it would be a more than 2,000-mile trip Taylor and the trip would take about 33 hours.

How they got here: The Arizona state champions arrived in Taylor with a 16-1 record. The Sunnyside all-stars were 6-1 in the 12-team USA West regional tournament in Irvine, California. In pool play, Tucson defeated the state champions of Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii, plus the host team from Laguna Niguel. The only loss was to Idaho, 9-8. In the semi-finals, the Tucson all-stars defeated the South California state champs, 8-3. They then shocked the state champs of Idaho, 10-0, to win the regional title. Other state champions in the West region were Oregon, Montana, North California, Washington and Nevada. Since the start of post-season play, Tucson outscored opponents, 127-33.

History: This is the second appearance in Taylor by a Team from Tucson and the third appearance by a team from Arizona. The same Sunnyside Little League won the Junior League World Series back in 1992 when the tournament was still limited to 13-year-old ballplayers. In 2009, the Mountain View Little League of Scottsdale won the world title… Teams from California have represented the West region in the World Series 15 times. Teams from Hawaii have played in Taylor 12 times. The other year, a team from Henderson, Nevada, played in the series… West region champions have won the JLWS world championship 10 times – more than any other region in the world. California teams have won the world title four times: Rowland Heights (1987), Thousand Oaks (1994), Mission Viejo (1998) and LaMirada (2003). Teams from Hawaii have won the world title four times. Pearl City won in 1984 and 2007. Aiea won it in 2000 and 2001 – the only team to win the JLWS championship in back-to-back years.

For the record: The purple wristbands being worn by Tucson players and coaching staff honors the memory of young Christina Taylor-Green, one of six people who died January 28 after being shot in the Tucson massacre allegedly committed by Jared Lee Loughner. At 9 years old, Green was the youngest victim in the incident. She was also the granddaughter of former Major League baseball pitcher and manager Dallas Green and played second base for a baseball team in the Canyon Del Oro league.

INTERNATIONAL POOL

Asia-Pacific Region Champion
Shing-Ming Junior Little League
Taoyuan, Chinese Taipei

1 Yu Chuan Wang
2 Yu Chieh Kao
3 Cheng En Li
4 Wei Fan Wang
6 Chen Fei Lin
7 Yuan Ting Tai
8 Chuan Yu Hsu
11 Chun Yu Wang
12 Hao Jan Chen
13 Yi Chung Tseng
14 Hung Yuan Lin
15 Chin Ou

Manager Ming – Wei Chih Huang
Coach Wei Cheng Tseng
Coach Han Mo Kao

Located 7,542 miles (12,137 km) from Taylor, Chinese Taipei is located on the other side of the globe from the home of the Junior League World Series.

How they got here: The Shin-Ming Little League all-stars arrived in Taylor with a record of 9-0. They went 5-0 to win the national championship and then 4-0 to win the four-team Asia-Pacific regional championship in Solo City, Indonesia. In Chinese Taipei, they outscored opponents, 48-7, in the five victories. Against other national champions in the regional, they outscored rivals, 96-2. In round robin play, they defeated the national champions of Hong Kong, Philippines and Indonesia and then defeated Philippines again in the championship game. The region was down two teams from the previous year when Saipan and Guam also were part of the tournament.

History: Chinese Taipei – or Taiwan – has the most storied history in Little League baseball with 24 appearances in the Little League World Series for 12-year-olds in Williamsport, Pennsylvania – and 17 world championships. In 2010 – the first year of competition for Chinese Taipei at the 13- and 14-year-old level – the team from Taipei City took the Junior League World Series by storm. After sweeping the Asia-Pacific region, Chinese Taipei went undefeated in the JLWS and won the world title by beating Tyler, Texas, in the finals, 9-1

For the record: To date, Chinese Taipei has traveled the third-farthest distance of any competitors in the 30-year history of the Junior League World Series. Only Jakarta, Indonesia (9,880 miles, 15,899 km), and Manila, Philippines (8,227 miles, 13,239 km) have traveled from longer distances… Last year’s World Series championship was the first for a team from the Asia-Pacific region. Prior to that, the closest a team got to the title was in 2007 when Manila, Phillipines won the International title and lost in the finals to Pearl City, Hawaii. Philippines also played in Taylor in 2008. Guam represented the region in 1999 and 2000. Saipan played in Taylor five straight years, 2001-2005, and returned in 2009. Indonesia was in the 2006 JLWS.

Canadian National Champion
Whalley Little League
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

1 Jordan Deshane
2 Scott Gamble
3 Daniel Fidler
6 Mitchell Williams
7 Jordan Ciliberto
8 Matthew Wong
10 Cole Hunt
11 Daichi Keber
12 Nolan Rehmke
13 Matthew MacDonald
14 Jacob Robazza
15 William Gladwell

Manager Reg Robazza
Coach Wendel Williams
Coach Craig Hunt

Located about 23 miles (37 kilometers) southeast of Vancouver, British Columbia. Surrey is about 1,944 miles (3,128 km) north and west of Taylor as the crow flies. It would take about 39 hours to travel the 2,444 miles (3,934 kilometers) to drive from Surrey to Taylor.

How they got here: The Whalley Little League all-stars arrived in Taylor with an 11-2 record, including a 7-1 mark in the seven-team Canadian national championship tournament held in Lethbridge, Alberta. In region round-robin pool play, Surrey went 5-1, defeating host Lethbridge, Alberta, 13-10; Sydney, Nova Scotia, 11-0; Orleans, Ontario, 16-5; Regina, Saskatchewan, 13-0; and Drummondville, Quebec, 19-0. The team’s only loss in the nationals was to Medicine Hat, Alberta, 8-4. In the semifinals, the British Columbia provincial champs were defeated Lethbridge again, 16-7. In the championship game, Surrey got its rematch with Medicine Hat and won, 11-8... Whalley went 4-1 in the provincial tournament, beating Coquitlam in two of three meetings, including 12-6 for the championship.

History: The Vancouver area is a baseball hotbed. This is the 24th year a team from Canada has appeared in the JLWS. Fifteen of the 23 teams have been from British Columbia. This is the seventh time Surrey has been represented. From 1994 to 2003, teams from British Columbia represented Canada in the JLWS nine of the 10 years, including eight in a row from 1996 to 2003. Canada is seeking its first Junior League world championship. The farthest a Canadian national champion has gone in the JLWS was in 2000, when Langley, B.C., lost in the finals to Aiea, Hawaii.

For the record: There’s plenty of successful baseball lineage in the Whalley lineup for this year’s World Series. Matt MacDonald’s brother Hayden played twice in the Senior League World Series in Bangor, Maine. Kristopher Robazza – brother of current player Jacob Robazza and son of Surrey Manager Reg Robazza – played in the Little League World Series in 2005 and 2006. Craig Hunt’s cousin Bill Hunt coached in the Junior League World Series in Taylor about a decade ago. Bill’s son Brandon played on that team. William Gladwell’s grandfather was a drafted baseball player in Japan. And Assistant Coach Wendel Williams played four seasons in the Canadian Football League for the Edmonton Eskimos (1982) and the British Columbia Lions (1983-1985) and was part of a Grey Cup championship team with Edmonton in 1982. One of his teammates that year was MVP Warren Moon. Williams played ball at Fresno State in California and moved to Canada during his CFL days. Williams now works in youth services at Burnaby Mountain Secondary School.

Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) Region Champion
Emilia Little League
Emilia, Italy

1 Samuel Silvestri
2 Pietro Adorni
3 Michele Paganelli
4 Gian Marco Pizzurro
5 Federico Monti
6 Guido Gerali
7 Alberto Fossa
8 Simone Astorri
9 Matteo Bocchi
10 Carlo Tanara
11 Luca Tesselli
12 Matteo Friggeri
13 Manuel Piazza
14 Davide Azzali

Manager Dimes Gamberini
Coach Federico Bassi
Coach Eros Reggiani

Located 4,360 miles (7,016 kilometers) from Taylor.

How they got here: Italy makes its second appearance in the Junior League World Series after winning the eight-team Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) region played in Kutno, Poland. In pool play, the Italian national champions opened with a loss to the KMC American Little League team in Ramstein, Germany, but rebounded to defeat the national champions of the Netherlands and South Africa to finish 2-1 in pool play. The Emilia all-stars defeated Lithuania in a quarterfinal game and shut out South Africa in the semifinals before defeating Netherlands, 8-2, to win the championship. Also playing in Poland were the national champions of the Czech Republic, Great Britain and Poland. There were five more teams in the regional tournament the year before, including 2010 EMEA champion Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Belarus and Lithuania.

History: The European region became part of the Junior League World Series in 1990 after the series expanded to include 14-year-olds in addition to 13-year-olds. The region later expanded to include teams from the Middle East and Africa. Most of the visitors to Taylor from this region have been American military base teams, although other national champions have been represented as well. Ukraine played in the series in 2010. Italy first played in Taylor in 2009. England came the year before.

For the record: To date, the most successful EMEA team in Taylor has been Kutno, Poland, which went 2-2 in 2002.

Latin American Region Champion
Coquivacoa Little League
Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela

1 Jose Medina
5 Kevin Reyes
6 Didimo Bracho
7 Edgar D’Empaire
8 Jairo Miquelena
9 Michael Bowen
10 Jose Martinez
11 Elias Puche
12 Jose Briceno
13 Jorge Ceballos
14 Janigson Villalobos
15 Yohel Pozo
17 Oberto Munoz
21 Mikey Edie

Manager Alejandro Marquez
Coach Jose Arcay
Coach Luis Portillo

Located 2,293 miles (3,691 kilometers) from Taylor. Maracaibo is located in northeast Venezuela near the border of Columbia in South America. Guatemala is in Central America.

How they got here: Venezuela’s national championship team had to win the highly competitive 10-team Latin America regional tournament held in Abaco, Bahamas. The Maracaibo all-stars went 3-1 in pool play, defeating Nassau, Bahamas, St. Thomas of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Aruba, but losing to Panama. In the semifinals, Venezuela shut out Curacao, setting up a rematch with Panama for the championship. Maracaibo won, 5-4. Other teams in the Latin America tournament were St. Maarten, Mexico and Ecuador. Last year’s Latin America champion, Guatemala, did not enter a team this year. Maracaibo qualified for the regional tournament by going 3-0 and winning the Venezuela national title.

History: This is the fourth time a team from Venezuela has played in the Junior League World Series – and the third team from Maracaibo. The San Francisco Little League from Maracaibo went 4-1 in 2001. The Paraguana Little League from Punto Fijo went 5-1 in 2004. And the Coquiavacao Little League from Maracaibo went 4-1 in 2006. The Latin America region was formed in 2000. Teams from Mexico, Panama, the U.S. Virgin Island, the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba and Guatamala have all won Latin America titles and played in Taylor.

For the record: While teams from Venezuela have come close to becoming world champions, there have been two other Latin America champions that have gone on to win the World Series. In 2005, Panama City, Panama, won the world title. In 2008, Curacao from the Netherlands Antilles became the only Latin America regional champion to go undefeated in the World Series with a 6-0 record.

Puerto Rico National Champion
Juan A. Bibiloni Little League
Yabucoa, Puerto Rico

1 Rolando Calderon Mor
2 Rey Rodriguez Amaro
3 Yomar Laboy Albert
5 Jonathan Felix Garcia
6 Miguel Rodriguez Sepu
7 Jose Laboy Velazquez
8 Josue R. Nieves Vera
9 Argenis Herrera de Jes
10 Alexander Reyes Lope
11 Ruben J. Castro Ortiz
12 Ender De Jesus Moral
13 Jorge Lebron Rodrigue
14 Oneill Fernandez Ortiz
15 Kevin X. Ortiz Colon

Manager Eddie Laboy Diaz
Coach Oscar Villaneueva
Coach Jose Reyes

Located in southeast Puerto Rico, 1,973 miles (3,175 kilometers) southeast of Taylor.

How they got here: Yabucoa arrived in Taylor with a 10-2 record. The team won the Puerto Rican national championship on July 9… Due to the popularity of baseball in the two countries, the national champion of Puerto Rico alternates automatic berths in the Junior League World Series with the national champion of Mexico. Puerto Rico comes automatically in even-number years.

History: This is the 22nd year that a team from Puerto Rico has played in the Junior League World Series. This is the eighth time a team from the Juan A. Bibiloni Little League in Yabucoa has won the Puerto Rican national title and made the trip to Taylor. The 1990 team from Yabucoa won the World Series in Taylor – one of five teams from Puerto Rico to win the Junior League championship… Puerto Rico became the first international location to join the Junior League World Series in 1982 – the second year of the tournament when it was limited to 13-year-olds. The Puerto Rican and Mexican national champions received automatic berths in the World Series through 1999. When the Junior League expanded in 2000 to include 13- and 14-year-olds, it increased the talent pool and allowed the division to expand and grow in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, Africa and other Latin America nations. The Latin America region was formed. More countries began entering all-star teams in post-season play. Those that won regional tournaments wanted to be included in the World Series. The series grew to nine teams, including five regions in the United States and four in international locations. Then, in 2004, organizers decided to expand the series to 10 teams with two equal five-team pools. Because of the popularity of baseball in Puerto Rico and Mexico, a decision was made to give Mexico an automatic berth in even-numbered years, while Puerto Rico’s national champion plays in Taylor in odd-numbered years.

For the record: Puerto Rico player Oneill Fernandez is the grandson of former major leaguer Alberto “Junior” Ortiz… Coach Jose Reyes played in the Junior League World Series in 1986. One of his teammates was his cousin Alex Reyes. Alex’s son Alex Reyes Jr. is a second baseman on this year’s team. Alex Sr. also made the trip. Coach Oscar Villaneuva played in Taylor in 1996.