Highlighting the greatest athletes and sports moments of the year, the ESPYs honor and celebrate those who have made a tremendous impact on the sports world. Every year, a number of Little League® alumni are celebrated for their achievements, and this year is no different. Below are the winners from this year’s award show who began their careers on a Little League field:
Ilona Maher
Best Breakthrough Athlete
North Burlington LL (Burlington, Vt.)
Taking her talents to not only the rugby field, but the dance floor as well, Ilona Maher had a year to remember. The rugby star earned the bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in the 7-on-7 women’s rugby tournament, before placing second in the same year’s season of the ABC hit show, Dancing with the Stars. Off the field, Maher has been an incredible advocate for accessibility and growth in women’s sports and female confidence, living by the slogan “Beast, Beauty, Brains.”
Cooper Flagg
Best Men’s College Athlete
Sebasticook Valley LL (Newport, Maine)
After an incredible season at Duke University and becoming the #1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the former Little Leaguer® asserted his dominance in the NCAA. Flagg, in his only season at Duke, added a significant amount of hardware, earning himself the Oscar Robertson Trophy and Wayman Tisdale award for being the national player of the year and freshman of the year. These awards highlight Flagg’s talent and contributions to basketball, solidifying his status as a top player in college basketball.
🏀 @DukeMBB ➡️ @dallasmavs @Cooper_Flagg takes home the @ESPYS Best College Athlete – Men’s Sports award! 🏆@MarchMadnessMBB x @MFinalFour pic.twitter.com/7jYKl1r0BK
— NCAA (@NCAA) July 17, 2025
Shohei Ohtani
Best MLB Player
Mizusawa (Japan) LL
The three-time MLB MVP added another award to the trophy case, taking home Best MLB player for the fourth time in five seasons to cap off his historic 50/50 season in 2024. This marks the sixth-straight ESPY for the Mizusawa Little League grad, as well as the fifth time Ohtani has received the award of Best MLB Player.
When the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians played in Williamsport in the fourth-ever MLB Little League Classic, Ohtani spent his time leading up to the game with some of the teams that competed in the Little League Baseball® World Series.
Cameron Boozer
National Gatorade Player of the Year
Kendall LL (Miami, Fla.)
Growing up, Cameron Boozer played for Kendall Little League in Miami, Florida, before becoming a basketball star at Christopher Columbus High School. Boozer was previously named the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2023, recognized for his exceptional performance and leadership that contributed to his success on the basketball court.
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While only one Little Leaguer was recognized as one of the two Gatorade National Players of the Year at the ESPYs, several state winners in baseball and softball got their start in the Little League community:
Arizona – Landon Hood – Goodyear LL – Goodyear, Ariz.
California – Ayla Tuua – Cosumnes River LL – Raacho Murieta, Calif.
Colorado – Connor Larkin – Dry Creek Baseball LL – Centennial Co.
Connecticut – Cam Righi – Wethersfield LL – Wethersfield, Conn.
Connecticut – Camryn Fisher – Ellington Girls Softball LL – Ellington, Conn.
Delaware – Jase Mitchell – Milton (Del.) LL
Delaware – Ava Calciano – Lewes (Del.) LL
Georgia – Keon Johnson – Vine Ingle LL (Macon, Ga.)
Illinois – Jaden Fauske – Clarendon Hills (Ill.) LL
Iowa – Taitn Gray – Urbandale (Iowa) LL
Kentucky – Cole Mclean – Campbellsville (Ky.) Youth Baseball LL
Louisiana – Kynzee Anderson – Bossier LL (Bossier City, La.)
Maine – Erik Swenson – Scarborough (Maine) LL
Massachusetts – Bradley McCafferty – Beverly (Mass.) LL
Nebraska – Brody Jindra – Keystone LL (Omaha, Neb.)
New Mexico – Anthony Del Angel – Cibola LL (Rio Rancho, N.M.) and Paradise Hills LL (Albuquerque, N.M.)
North Carolina – Coy James – Davie County LL (Advance, N.C.) and Davie American LL (Mocksville, NC)
Ohio – Matt Ponatoski – West Side LL (Hamilton, Ohio)
Oklahoma – Ethan Holliday – Cimarron Valley LL (Stillwater, Okla.)
Rhode Island – Brady Collins – Cumberland (R.I.) National LL and Cumberland (R.I.) LL
South Carolina – Carson Bolemon – Greenville LL (Greenville, S.C.) and Winston-Salem (N.C.) National LL
Texas – Cy Chrisman – McAllister Park LL (San Antonio, Texas) and McAllister Park National LL (San Antonio, Texas)
Texas – Hannah Wells – Greater Medina Lake LL (Lakehills, Texas)
Vermont – Anastase Bourgois – Connecticut Valley LL (Bradford, Vt.)
Virginia – Mason Pike – Tuckahoe LL (Henrico, Va.) and Tuckahoe National LL (Henrico, Va.)
Virginia – Kaylee Hodges – Central Chesterfield (Va.) LL
Washington – Weston Smith – South Hill LL (Pullyallp, Wash.)
West Virginia – Sawyer Deering – Hurricane (W.V.) LL
West Virginia – Audrea Watts – Salt Rock (W.V.) Youth Sports LL
While the 2025 ESPY Awards have come to a close, the love for the sport will continue to come to life over the coming weeks as more than 340 Little League® Baseball and Softball games will be broadcast across ESPN Platforms starting on Saturday, July 19, with the Little League Softball Region Tournaments as the Summer of Softball continues to shine.
NOTE: If you know of a notable Little League graduate that would fit into any of these categories listed above, please complete the Little League Alumni Submission form. Feel free to also share your Little League alumni story on social media by tagging @LittleLeague and by using #LLAlumni in your posts.