For the first time in the three Little League Baseball Australia Region Championships, a team from the east coast will be representing Australia in Williamsport this summer. Cronulla Little League, located just south of Sydney, defeated Swan Hills Little League on Tuesday, June 9, 7-3, winning its way to the 2015 Little League Baseball® World Series. Twenty teams took part in the six-day event held at Linsmore in New South Wales.
Australia continues to be one of the fastest growing Little League® countries in the world. This is the third year that the Australia Region Champion has received an automatic berth in the Little League Baseball World Series. Two teams from Perth, Perth Metro Central and Perth Metro Northern, represented the region in 2013 and 2014, respectively, with the Perth Metro North team notching Australia’s first World Series win last year. This year, Australia will also send the country’s first-ever representative to the Junior League Baseball Asia-Pacific Region Championship from June 26 to July 5. Perth Metro Central Little League, featuring many of the same players on the 2013 Little League Baseball World Series roster, will represent their country at the tournament in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.
Perth Metro Northern won the consolation game, taking third place at this year’s tournament, which featured great highlights, competitive games, and good sportsmanship. More information on the 2015 Little League Baseball Australia Region Tournament can be found at LittleLeague.org.au.
The Australia Region Champion will face off against the Latin America Region Champion in the first round of the Little League Baseball World Series on Thursday, Aug. 20, at 5 p.m., at Volunteer Stadium. The Latin American Region Championship is scheduled for Saturday, July 18. Over the course of 10 days, 32 games will be played in the Little League Baseball World Series, concluding with the Little League Baseball World Series Championship Game, which is scheduled for 3 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 30.