Laurel Little League Major Girl’s State Champions.

Stephanie Spicer Lynch

I am heartbroken for our Laurel Little League Major Girl’s State Champions. After going undefeated to win the District III Title, and fighting from the loser’s bracket to win the State Title, our team was disqualified 12 hours before we were to depart for Connecticut to compete in the Eastern Regionals. One girl, who has a Laurel address and has played for Laurel Little League since she was 4, was found to live outside of the district boundary. This girl was approved at every district and state All-Star game by a Little League representative for two years in a row. After winning a State Title in Minor League last year, she was also approved by Little League to play in the Eastern Regional Tournament in Pennsylvania last year. After speaking with the Eastern Regional Tournament Director (Corey), it is very clear that Little League will take ZERO responsibility beyond blaming our local Laurel Little League. There is no accountability for district or state reps or regional reps who approved her last year. The director even went as far to say that last year’s Minor League Eastern Regional did not matter. That it is not really a Regional Tournament, but just an invitational for the state champions to come play. I am thoroughly disgusted in Little League. They wonder why it is dying. An organization for children, who just crushed a team full of girls for something that was not their fault. All the checks and balances were checked and balanced, and suddenly, they say it was incorrect, but not their fault, even though LITTLE LEAGUE approved her previously. I told them they needed to call the girls to explain to them why they were disqualified, but of course that was refused. We have volunteered for the better part of the past 16 years through various Little Leagues, teams, and kids, and this is what we’re left with. My daughter and her team mates worked so hard to accomplish this and all they’re left with is a disqualification because multiple people in multiple levels of Little League couldn’t do their jobs. Heads should roll, but when they’re unwilling to take any responsibility, our girls don’t even get the fairness of someone being held accountable. What a joke of an organization.

Please share. At least Little League can be held accountable in the court of public opinion (or hopefully legally after we speak with lawyers that have been recommended).