A competitive edge
Pearland West draws on huge talent pool, area’s recent success to punch ticket to Williamsport
For the third time in five years, a team from Pearland will be in the Little League World Series.
Andrew Solomon, the coach of this year’s Pearland team, confesses he does not know what the “magic formula” is for his town’s recent run of success, which began in 2010 and includes back-to-back trips to Williamsport, Pa., in 2014 and 2015.
“We’ve definitely sort of taken over,” said Solomon, whose Pearland West team plays on national TV on Thursday against a team from Portland, Ore. “Without a doubt, we’re the premier Little League in Houston.”
Which begs the question: How has Pearland become so good in such a short time?
Rodney Black, president of the Pearland Little League, said league registration is at an all-time high, population growth has led to more kids moving into the area and many, if not all, of the kids play baseball year-round.
Black said Pearland Little League also benefited from the exposure of the Pearland White team making the Series in 2010.
“That helps keep talented kids and participation numbers in Pearland up, whereas other Little Leagues across the region and state have seen numbers dwindle to Select baseball,” Black said.
Select baseball leagues in the Houston area draw “the very talented players who want to push themselves,” said Ron Mathis of Nations Baseball. “It’s a
different approach than Little League.” But the success and visibility of the Little League teams in Pearland have made the difference. Since 2003, the Pearland Little League has grown nearly 30 percent from 850 kids and 70 teams to 1,100 kids and 100 teams this season.
Part of the increase can be attributed to population growth in Pearland, 15 miles south of Houston.
From 2010-13, the area grew by 11 percent, according to U.S. Census data, primarily a result of construction in the Shadow Creek Ranch master-planned community off State Highway 288.
Black said most kids who choose to join the league eventually play year-round, taking off a few months following the summer season and resuming in the fall.
Ten of the 13 players on the Pearland West roster of 11- and 12-year olds have been playing together for five years. Every kid has been associated with the league since T-ball.
“There are kids that play other sports, but the priority has been baseball,” Black said. Grown as a group
The results have been undeniable. The current group was crowned 10-year-old state champions and made it to sectionals as 11-year olds. This summer they’ve surged through the postseason, winning all 14 games in district, sectional, state and regional play. In the opening round of the postseason, Pearland West won by scores of 41-0, 19-0 and 29-0.
Pearland West booked its spot in the Little League World Series by beating a team from Boulder, Colo., 9-2 on Aug. 13 in Waco.
That qualified Pearland West, along with winners from the seven other U.S. regions and eight international teams, for the 16-team Series field out of roughly 7,000 teams worldwide that began the season.
“We thought we had a legitimate chance to go pretty far in the tournament,” Solomon said. “They’ve worked for this moment — and they believed it could happen. A lot of kids might hope and wish and dream that it can happen, but these kids have seen it happen now three times.”
Pearland Little League consists of two six-team (West and East) leagues that include the majors division that competes for a spot in the Little League World Series. The two leagues are split by a geographical boundary outlined by the league that, Black said, has created a “back-and-forth rivalry.” Pearland East advanced to the Little League World Series last year; Pearland West got a measure of revenge by beating them twice to open district play.
“It’s somewhat of a healthy competition,” Black said. “It always helps to push kids from both sides to compete with the other talented side.”
Houston has been represented on several occasions in Williamsport in the past two decades.
“Over the last decade Houston has been the powerhouse in the state,” Black said. Tradition in the making
Spring Northwest 45 broke a 22-year drought for Houston-area teams in the World Series in 1988 and made it back to Williampsort in 1995 and finished second. Bellaire was runner-up to Venezuela in 2000. Lamar National advanced in 2003 and 2004, with its best finish third place. Pearland White reached the U.S. championship game in 2010 and Pearland East went 2-2 in 2014.
“It’s a lot of hard work,” said Lamar Little League president Randall Collum, whose representative lost to Pearland West in the state tournament. “It’s no easy feat. I’m impressed these kids made it the last few years and the league keeps churning out great teams.”
The closest games in the postseason for Pearland West came against Lufkin at the state tournament, a 9-8 win in the opener and 1-0 in the championship game.
“We knew going up there Pearland has always been good through the years,” said Mike Akridge, director of the Lufkin Little League.
When Pearland West advanced to the title game of the Southwest Region, which is made up of seven surrounding states, the Lufkin team rented a van and made the three-hour drive to Waco
“They thought that highly of them,” Akridge said.
Now Pearland West gets a chance to do what no Houston-area team has done since Westbury in 1966 — win the Little League World Series.
“Their eyes got big when they saw the 2010 team advance,” Solomon said. “Since that time it’s been the goal of these kids to duplicate that.”