For the first time since 2021, the Houston area doesn't have a team in the Little League World Series with Boerne representing the Southwest region.
Needville made a strong run through the Little League World Series in 2023, winning its first four games before losing to California in the United States championship game and falling to Taiwan in the third-place game.
Needville was the 16th team from the Houston area playing in the Little League World Series, but only two local teams — 1966 Westbury Little League and 1950 Houston Little League — have ever won the entire tournament and no Houston team has made it to the tournament championship game since Bellaire did it in 2000.
Here’s a look at how every local team has done at the Little League World Series …
2023: Needville (4-2, fourth place)
Needville opened the tournament with four straight wins, but lost to California, who it beat earlier in the week, in the United States championship game and got beat by Taiwan in the third-place game. It was a strong run for the kids from the town of about 3,000 people. D.J. Jablonski led the offense, going 4-for-12 with a double and a home run. As a pitcher, he struck out 21 batters in 15 1/3 innings. Easton Benge also had a strong tournament, throwing 8 1/3 scoreless innings. Defensively, shortstop Dalyn Martin made a pair of plays that ended up on SportsCenter’s Top 10.
2022: Pearland (3-2)
Pearland finished as the third-place team out of the United States bracket. After winning its opener, Pearland fell to the eventual world champion out of Honolulu, Hawaii. The loss sent it to the elimination bracket where it won two straight before losing to a Tennessee team in the United States' elimination bracket final. In one of the Pearland wins, left fielder Corey Kahn robbed a home run at the wall and ended up as No. 1 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays that night. Kaiden Shelton also hit two long home runs in Williamsport.
2018: Post Oak (1-2)
Led by the likes of Ryan Selvaggi, who went on to star at Lamar High School, Post Oak won its first game in Williamsport, but lost consecutive one-run games to New York and Georgia to get eliminated.
2015: Pearland West (4-2, third place)
Pearland made it to the United States championship game when Caleb Low hit an extra-inning walk-off home run when his team was facing elimination. Pearland’s only losses came against a Pennsylvania team led by Cole Wagner, who now plays at Penn State. Pearland, which finished second in the United States bracket, went on to beat Mexico in the third-place game.
2014: Pearland East (2-2)
Led by Layne Roblyer’s five RBIs in the tournament, Pearland East made it to the finals of the consolation bracket where it lost to a team from Chicago, which later had to forfeit all its wins for using players that lived outside of their little league’s boundary. Pearland East’s only other loss came against a Philadelphia team led by girl phenom Mo’ne Davis, who graced the Sports Illustrated cover that week.
2010: Pearland White (3-3, fourth place)
Pearland advanced to the United States championship game by going 3-1 in pool play, led by three home runs from the bat of Beau Orlando, who would go on to play at the University of Central Arkansas. The team lost to Hawaii in the U.S. title game, then fell to Chinese Taipei in the consolation game, finishing second in the United States bracket and fourth overall.
2004: Lamar National (5-1, third place)
Richmond’s Lamar National, in its second straight year in Williamsport, dominated in pool play, going 3-0 and outscoring opponents 43-10, including a team from Redmond, Wash., led by future New York Mets All-Star Michael Conforto. That put Lamar in the United States title game where it lost to Thousand Oaks, Calif., before bouncing back to beat Mexico in the third-place game. Randal Grichuk, who currently is in his 10th season in the big leagues, led Lamar with four home runs in six games.
2003: Lamar National (2-2)
Lamar National, out of Richmond, actually had two future big leaguers on the team in Randal Grichuk and Brady Rodgers, who would go on to pitch eight games with the Houston Astros. Lamar made it to the tournament quarterfinals after going 2-1 in pool play, but was ousted by Massachusetts in a 14-13 slugfest.
2000: Bellaire (3-2, runner-up)
This is the last team from Houston to claim the United States championship in Williamsport when it shut out Iowa 8-0 after going 2-1 in pool play. Bellaire went on to lose to Venezuela in 3-2 in the championship game. The team from Houston made it to Williamsport on the strength of a no-hitter thrown by Ross Haggard in the regional title game. Bellaire’s Drew Zizinia and Michael Johnson both went on to play professionally in the minors.
1995: Spring’s Northwest 45 (3-2, runner-up)
Led by Wardell Starling, who would go on to win a state championship at Elkins High School and play nine seasons in the minors, Northwest 45 won the United States championship with a 3-1 win over California. The team out of Spring went on to lose to Taiwan 17-3 in the tournament’s title game.
1988: Spring’s Northwest 45 (2-1, third place)
This team broke Houston’s 22-year drought in Williamsport. Northwest 45 made it to the United States championship game, but lost a close one to Hawaii 5-4. The team from Spring bounced back with a 3-2 win over Canada in the third-place game.
1966: Westbury American (3-0, champions)
Led by the pitching trio of Mark Harding, Mike Robinett and Billy Raymer, Westbury gave up just two runs in their three games, shutting out Mexico in the quarterfinals and California in the semifinals before cruising to an 8-2 win over New Jersey in the championship game.
1963: North Houston (1-1, consolation champs)
In the first year the Little League World Series championship game was televised, the team from North Houston lost a heartbreaker to California 3-2 in extra innings to open the tournament. Nolan Anderson provided Houston’s offense with a game-tying two-run homer. The loss dropped North Houston to the consolation final where it defeated Mexico 5-1.
1961: El Campo (2-1, runner-up)
The team from El Campo Little League opened the tournament with an extra-inning win over Indiana, then beat Mexico 1-0 to advance to the title game. It lost to a team from El Cajon, Calif., which was led by future NFL quarterback Brian Sipe.
1954: Galveston (0-1)
Galveston made it to Williamsport before the tournament was double-elimination, so its stay was cut short when it lost a quarterfinal game to Illinois 6-5. That Little League World Series featured five future big leaguers: Boog Powell, Jim Barbieri, Billy Connors, Ken Hubbs and Carl Taylor.
1950: Houston (3-0, champions)
In just the second season of Houston Little League’s existence, it sent a team to Williamsport that won the whole thing. The team was coached by former St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs infielder Jeff Cross. Bill Martin, who went on to play at the University of Houston, opened the Little League World Series for Houston by throwing a no-hitter in a win over Rhode Island. Houston shut out Illinois in the semifinal, then beat Connecticut 2-1 in the championship game.