Senior League World Series
Encyclopedia
The Senior League World Series is a baseball
tournament
for children
aged 14 to 16 years old. Since 2002, the tournament
has been held annually in Bangor, Maine. It is patterned after the Little League World Series
, which was named for the World Series
in Major League Baseball
.
The Senior League World Series is one of eight tournaments sponsored by Little League International. Each of them brings baseball or softball
team
s from around the world together in one of four age divisions. The tournament structure for each division's World Series is similar to that used for the Little League Baseball World Series.
— which has sixteen regions (eight in the U.S. and eight international) — the Senior League World Series has only nine regions.
Also unlike the Little League World Series — which divides its regional champions into two discrete brackets (U.S. and International) — the Senior League World Series divides its nine regional champions (plus the host team) into two mixed pools that combine U.S. and international regions.
In 2009, Pool A consisted of the host team and the champions from Asia/Pacific, Canada, Southwest, and West. The teams in Pool B were from Central, East, Southwest, Latin America, and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa).
The two best teams from each pool advance to the semi-finals. The semi-final winners play for the championship. All matches are single-elimination
games. The losing teams face off in classification games.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
for children
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
aged 14 to 16 years old. Since 2002, the tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
has been held annually in Bangor, Maine. It is patterned after the Little League World Series
Little League World Series
The Little League Baseball World Series is a baseball tournament for children aged 11 to 13 years old. It was originally called the National Little League Tournament and was later renamed for the World Series in Major League Baseball. It was first held in 1947 and is held every August in South...
, which was named for the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
.
The Senior League World Series is one of eight tournaments sponsored by Little League International. Each of them brings baseball or softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
team
Team
A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team...
s from around the world together in one of four age divisions. The tournament structure for each division's World Series is similar to that used for the Little League Baseball World Series.
Tournament format
Unlike the Little League World SeriesLittle League World Series
The Little League Baseball World Series is a baseball tournament for children aged 11 to 13 years old. It was originally called the National Little League Tournament and was later renamed for the World Series in Major League Baseball. It was first held in 1947 and is held every August in South...
— which has sixteen regions (eight in the U.S. and eight international) — the Senior League World Series has only nine regions.
Also unlike the Little League World Series — which divides its regional champions into two discrete brackets (U.S. and International) — the Senior League World Series divides its nine regional champions (plus the host team) into two mixed pools that combine U.S. and international regions.
In 2009, Pool A consisted of the host team and the champions from Asia/Pacific, Canada, Southwest, and West. The teams in Pool B were from Central, East, Southwest, Latin America, and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa).
The two best teams from each pool advance to the semi-finals. The semi-final winners play for the championship. All matches are single-elimination
Single-elimination tournament
A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
games. The losing teams face off in classification games.
See also
- Amateur baseball in the United StatesAmateur baseball in the United StatesAmateur baseball is a form of baseball in which the players either are not paid for playing, or receive only a modest stipend or employment arranged by the team's boosters...
- List of organized baseball leagues
- Baseball awards#World
- Baseball awards#U.S. youth baseball
External links
- Little League Baseball official website