The Taylor North Little League baseball team following their Great Lakes Region win which qualified them for the 2021 Little League World Series.
TAYLOR — Taylor North, the first team from the city ever to qualify for the Little League World Series, will open play at 3 p.m. Friday against Florida in the first round of the Hank Aaron Championship Bracket.
The game, between the Great Lakes Regional champion and the Southeast Regional runners-up, will be telecast by ESPN.
The 2021 Little League World Series is being played in Williamsport, Pa. Crowds are restricted to just family and friends due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of those restrictions, only United States teams are being invited to this year’s tournament.
Instead of American and International brackets, the LLWS has been divided into the Hank Aaron and Tom Seaver brackets, with the winners playing for the world championship on Aug. 29. Each regional in the country sent two teams to the LLWS.
Other first-round games in the Hank Aaron bracket will be Hawaii-Connecticut, Nebraska-New Jersey, and Washington-Texas. The winner of the Michigan-Florida contest will advance into the second round to face the winner of the Washington-Texas game at 1 p.m. Aug. 22. It will be live on ESPN.
Taylor Manager Rick Thorning was interviewed this week on 97.1 The Ticket’s Stoney and Jansen Show, and admitted that he recognized during state tournament play that something special might be happening.
“I knew after states that we had a shot (to go to the LLWS),” he said. “Our defense and pitching has been lights out.”
Taylor North is unbeaten in postseason play and outscored teams in district (82-0), state (57-7) and regional play (38-2).
“The top of our order has been on fire,” he said.
In the regional title rout of Hamilton, Ohio, Lucas Farner, Jackson Surma and Cam Thorning each had two hits and Ethan VanBelle and Max LaForest combined for 5 RBI. Lucas, the team’s shortstop, made one of the finest defensive plays of the postseason when he sprinted back into left field, with his back to the plate, and caught a looping drive over his shoulder. He then turned and fired to second baseman Gavin Ulin to complete a double play and get out of the inning.
Despite the hot streak, postseason activity hasn’t been easy once the team advanced to the regional level. Due to pandemic restrictions, teams and coaches have been quarantined and the young players, all 12 or under, haven’t had physical contact with their families – and won’t, until the LLWS is over.
Thorning said that makes it more challenging for the coaching staffs.
“This is different,” he admitted on the radio interview. “These kids haven’t been able to have direct contact with their moms and dads. That can be hard on the kids. It’s a struggle sometimes. But this is bigger than anything we’ve ever been a part of …”
As for Friday’s opponent, Florida’s Martin County North Little League finished 3-1 in the SE regional held in Warner Robins, Ga. They beat Virginia, 7-3; North Carolina, 6-0; and Georgia, 4-0. They lost to Tennessee in the title game, 10-3. All of Tennessee’s run came in a fifth-inning rally after Florida led, 3-0.
Taylor North is made up of Manager Rick Thorning and coaches Guido Ulin and Jason Surma; and players Chauncy Adkins, Noah Boren, Lucas Farner, Jakob Fukas, Kale Harris, Max LaForest, Jaxon Shufeldt, Jackson Surma, Cameron Thorning, Gavin Ulin and Ethan VanBelle.
For a downloadable bracket, click here.
The Taylor North Little League baseball team checks out the field before playing in the 2021 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.