Little League softball

The City of Greenville held a press conference on Wednesday at Elm Street Park to make the special announcement. 

It was announced this past Wednesday however that for the next five years, the city of Greenville will host the Little League Softball World Series (LLSWS).

People looking at the city of Greenville, North Carolina has known the town to bleed purple and gold in its support for East Carolina University athletics for many years. Outside of that there has not been much recognition with smaller sports teams and organizations that reside in the same area. 

“I think it’s going to bring a lot for the city of Greenville, because it’s a great town,” head East Carolina University softball coach Courtney Oliver said. “There’s a lot of young softball players here. I think that it’s gonna bring a lot of attention and make people aware of softball around here.”

This year’s event will take place from Aug. 12 to Aug. 19 at Stallings Stadium at Elm Street Park, only a short distance from ECU. All of the games will be broadcasted live on the ESPN Family of Networks for the third year in a row.

In the 2020 tournament 10 teams will compete, representing nine regional champions and the host team from the state of North Carolina. Moving forward into 2021, that field will expand to 12 teams as the current Little League Softball World Series East Region will be divided into the Mid-Atlantic and New England Regions, while the current West Region will be divided into the Northwest and West Regions, expanding the reach of the program and allowing more teams to be a part of the event.

“I know the little league kind of wants to get the little kids to meet our girls. I know our girls are excited about it. Just the opportunity to show young athletes what it takes to be at this level. It’s special. We will make sure the girls are a part of it,” assistant head coach Jessica Hirschbuhl said.

While not being held on ECU’s campus, the Pirate softball team is looking forward to helping out in any way possible. According to Hirschbuhl, they plan to volunteer, meet with the participating teams and lend a helping hand wherever needed.

The Little League Softball World Series holds a special place in Hirschbuhl’s heart as she participated in it at only 12 years old. Hirschbuhl was greatly impacted by the program and later went on to play collegiate softball and began coaching before being brought on to ECU’s program four years ago.

“It was a special time in my life,” Hirschbuhl said. “I was 12 years old and at that point you don’t know that it’s going to change your life forever and give you this passion for the sport. That’s really what it did. It propelled my love for this game and that’s a pretty special thing. Now here I am loving it even more and I get to give back a little bit.”

A team from North Carolina has only represented the Southeast Region eight times since the tournament began in 1974. The champion of the North Carolina Little League Softball tournament will be granted direct entry into the LLSWS starting in 2020 as the host team, while the runner-up of that tournament will have the opportunity to compete through the Southeast Region Tournament to earn a bid as a Regional Champion.

The Greenville Little League has been a member of the Little League program since 1951 and prides itself on being a community based program. The program is currently being run by Brian Weingartz, president of the Greenville Little League.

According to Weingartz in the press release, Stallings Stadium at Elm Street Park is a one-of-a-kind venue that will provide all who attend the Little League Softball World Series with lasting memories. He is pleased that Greenville has been granted the opportunity to have young ladies from around the world come to the city to play.

“It’s a big undertaking for a community,” Brian McClintock, the senior director of communications for Little League International said. “We had about 10 to 15 communities reach out and express interest. Members of our international staff, our operations staff, went and visited a select few of those...What we found here in Greenville was a beautiful stadium, beautiful facilities and a really welcoming community that was really ready to work with us and bring the Little League World Softball Series here.”

The 2020 LLSWS is scheduled for Aug. 12 to Aug. 19, 2020 at Stallings Stadium at Elm Street Park. More details will be released as the event gets closer.

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