Virginia District 16 Little League

Here are the dates and locations for the 2013 District 16 Baseball Tournaments:

• 9-10 Year-Olds: June 25 to July 3 hosted by ULLL at Haske Field and Round Hill Center in Pucellville.
• 10-11 Year-Olds: June 27 to July 5 hosted by LLLL at Cobb Field and Pioneer Field in Sterling.
• Little League: July 1 to July 9 hosted by CLLL at Freedom Park in Leesburg.
• Juniors: July 5 to July 7 hosted by LSLL at Freedom High School in South Riding.
• Seniors: June 29 to June 30. Host and location to be determined.

Dates may change due to weather, field conditions, etc. Game schedules will be announced at a later date.

The Blue Ridge Leader recently spoke with ULLL President Norris Beavers about his views on youth sports.

The Challenger Division was established in 1989 as a separate division of Little League to enable boys and girls with physical and mental challenges, ages 4-18, or up to age 22 if still enrolled in high school, to enjoy the game of baseball along with the millions of other children who participate in this sport worldwide. More than the skills of baseball learned through the experience, the value of the Little League Challenger Division is found in the therapeutic and socialization benefits of participating in sports, the strengthening of the participant’s self-esteem, the opportunities to mainstream into other divisions of play, and the disciplines of teamwork, citizenship and fair play which are hallmarks of the Little League program. Today, more than 30,000 children participate in more than 900 Challenger Divisions worldwide.

In Loudoun County two leagues currently offer the Challenger Program. Lower Loudoun Little League (Sterling/Potomac Falls) and Dulles Little League (Ashburn) have been running successful Challenger Programs for many years. The District staff are eager to bring the Challenger Division to the rest of District 16. If your league does not offer Challenger we can assist you in registering in another league.

Where numbers allow, teams are set up according to abilities, rather than age, and can include as many as 15-20 players. Challenger games can be played as tee ball games, coach pitch, player pitch, or a combination of the three.

One of the benefits of having a Challenger Division is that it encourages the use of “buddies” for the Challenger players. The buddies assist the Challenger players on the field, but whenever possible, encourage the players to bat and make plays themselves. However, the buddy is always nearby to help when needed.

Parents and teenagers are strongly encouraged to become involved in this uniquely-rewarding division of Little League. After completing a Little League volunteer application and passing a required national background check, teenagers may become buddies, while parents may become involved in practices, and be eligible as coaches, managers, umpires, local league board members and other volunteer positions within the league.

For more information on the Little League Challenger Division in Virginia Little League District 16, contact Lynn Davis via email challenger@vadist16.org.

In the Virginia State Little League Baseball quarterfinals, LSLL’s first three batters unloaded on D-9 DTQ with back-to-back-to-back jacks in a 9-0 win. LSLL will play D-5 Atlee on Wednesday at 1:00PM in the State semifinals.

Good luck, and a great job so far.

Follow along at lsll.org.

Congratulations to the 10-11 Year-Old Softball All-Stars from Loudoun Girls Little League Softball. In their 4th season, they are now about play for the Virginia State Championship!

After winning their first game 7-4 against D-4 Great Falls, the lost 9-5 to D-5 Tuckahoe. But in the loser’s bracket they have had a strong run, beating D-14 Louisa 20-2 and then D-4 Great Falls again, 10-0 in 4 innings this time.

In the semi-finals, Loudoun Girls beat D-1 Washington County 7-2. Now they face D-5 Tuckahoe again, but this time it is in the State Championship!

UPDATE: 10-11 Loudoun Girls ended up taking second in the State, losing 6-1 to D-5 Tuckahoe in the finals. They outscored their opponents 50-22. Congratulations on a great tournament!

Loudoun South added an exclamation point to the end of their undefeated district tournament, defeating Lower Loudoun National in the Little League championship game 22-6.

Lower Loudoun National had won four straight games following their round one loss, emerging from the loser’s bracket with a tremendous offensive force. Justin Robles did most of the damage for LLLLN knocking out four homeruns in just seven at-bats, including two in the championship game.

Still, Loudoun South had an answer as their own Kyle Schofield also blasted two homers in the game: a three-run shot and a grand slam.

Drake Logan got the win for LSLL, throwing a complete game allowing runs in only two innings.

Both teams played well throughout the tournament and should be proud of their effort.

Loudoun South will represent District 16 in the VA State Tournament hosted in District 6 by Olive Branch Little League. The tournament begins Friday, July 20.

UPDATE 7/24: In the quarterfinals, LSLL’s first three batters unloaded on D-9 DTQ with back-to-back-to-back jacks in a 9-0 win. LSLL will play D-5 Atlee on Wednesday at 1:00PM in the State semifinals.

Central Loudoun National had to return to play a second championship game against a strong Dulles National team today, but they were just too powerful for Dulles to beat twice.

After winning last night’s game 6-5 on a walk off single by Eric Davis with 2 outs in the bottom of the 6th, Dulles National knew they had a tough game ahead of them today. But Central Loudoun’s Joe Alexander pitched a complete game and only allowed one run to the speedy Sajon Belser.

Dylan Saale got a no-decision in the loss last night. But he made sure he factored into the game today with 2 home runs, one of them a grand slam, leading Central National to a decisive 11-1 win today.

Congratulations to both teams for a great tournament.

Central Loudoun National will represent District 16 in the VA State Tournament hosted in District 7 by Poqouson Little League. The tournament begins Thursday, July 19.

UPDATE 7/20: Central Loudoun won their first game, beating D-15 King William 10-0 in four innings. They lost earlier today against D-9 West Springfield American 3-0. On Sunday they play the host league D-7 Poquoson, and if they win they will advance into the quarterfinals on Monday.

Loudoun South defeated Central Loudoun American in a disproportionate game, 11-1, backed by solid pitching and timely hitting. Loudoun South’s starting pitcher, Devon Zavacky, threw a complete game allowing the sole CLLLA run in the fourth inning. Zavacky backed up his own pitching with two excellent defensive plays on screaming line drives back to the mound that he snagged.

Central Loudoun American played a solid defensive game after the first inning, as shortstop Phaly Moravek locked down the infield making multiple plays ranging far to his right. In the end, Moravek’s defense was not enough as Loudoun South managed to find the gaps and push across the championship winning run with a solid base hit in the fifth.

Loudoun South will represent District 16 in the VA State Tournament hosted by Dulles Little League at Crittenden Park. The tournament begins Friday, July 20. Come out and support our local team in the State Tournament.

Congratulations to the girls selected to represent District 16 at the Softball State Tournaments this year!

The 9-10 Year-Old Softball All-Stars will be traveling to Woodstock/Edinburg in District 3. Their tournament begins July 12, but their first game isn’t until July 14.

UPDATE: Loudoun Girls lost 11-2 against D-11 Richlands this morning, and then lost again to D-8 VA Beach this afternoon 12-8.

The 10-11 Year-Old Softball All-Stars will be traveling to Lebanon in District 11. Their tournament also begins July 12.

UPDATE 7/16: Loudoun Girls beat D-4 Great Falls again, this time 10-0 in 4 innings. That puts them playing either D-5 Tuckahoe or D-1 Washington County next. A win there would mean that they play the other team in the championship game.

UPDATE 7/15: Loudoun Girls won their first game, beating D-4 Great Falls 7-4. On Sunday, they lost 9-5 to D-5 Tuckahoe and then won 20-2 against D-14 Louisa. Their next game is Monday in a rematch against D-4 Great Falls.

Good luck to both teams.

The tournament brackets will be updated each night.

• Little League
• 10-11 Year-Olds
• 9-10- Year-Olds

I also try to announce the scores on Twitter (vadist16) as soon as I get the reports. Unfortunately I was unable to do that today due to some lingering effects of Friday night’s storm.

The warmup schedule gets updated each night as well.