Summerlin South enters LL Softball World Series on a roll

No Southern Nevada squad had ever played successful the Little League Softball World Series, but Summerlin South manager Jim Lenahan knew his players had much than conscionable a chance.

And that was earlier they adjacent played a game.

“When we assembled the team, our expectations were to spell to the World Series,” helium said. “This year, erstwhile they said they were going to instrumentality 2 teams (from each regional), we decidedly expected to beryllium 1 of those teams going in.”

Not that Summerlin South needed that 2nd spot. The Nevada squad unopen retired Arizona 10-0 connected July 30 to triumph the West Region successful San Bernardino, California.

The other spot was disposable due to the fact that determination is nary planetary information of the World Series due to the fact that of COVID-19. The World Series begins Wednesday successful Greenville, North Carolina.

Summerlin South’s archetypal crippled is astatine 1 p.m. Thursday against New Jersey connected ESPN Plus. The title crippled is Aug. 18.

“We person the quality to triumph the full World Series, truthful we person that mindset,” Lenahan said. “We don’t person to archer (the players), ‘You’re going to spot large pitching.’ They saw large pitching astatine regionals. They’re going to spot bully defense. They’re going to spot bully hitting teams. But we person each of that and more. I judge we’ll person the champion pitching and defence there, and we’ll person conscionable arsenic bully of hitting arsenic anybody else.”

Softball often comes down to pitching, nary substance the level, and Summerlin South is rightfully assured successful hurlers Ava Koenig and Jovani Corniel. Summerlin South’s pitching was ascendant successful the regional, signaling 2 shutouts and allowing 1 tally successful each of the different 2 games.

Then again, Summerlin South was conscionable flat-out ascendant period. It outscored the absorption 43-2, scoring successful treble figures successful each 4 games.

No wonderment optimism is truthful precocious heading to Greenville.

Playing successful the World Series mightiness beryllium a caller acquisition for a Las Vegas team, but Lenahan said Summerlin South is not a one-hit wonder. The league, helium said, has been gathering for 5 years to scope this moment.

It mightiness person gotten determination past twelvemonth if not for the COVID-induced shutdown.

As for the future, Lenahan hopes his team’s occurrence volition bring spark thing of a softball renaissance successful Southern Nevada. A beardown tally successful the World Series surely would assistance that effort.

“Hopefully, each the young girls looking for a athletics to play volition privation to commencement softball,” Lenahan said.

Contact newsman Mark Anderson astatine manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 connected Twitter.