10 Years Later: Remembering Maine-Endwell’s Historic Little League World Series Run

ENDWELL, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) - Ten years ago, a group of kids from Maine-Endwell put their names in the history books.

They went undefeated, won the Little League World Series, and gave the entire Southern Tier a summer it still remembers. Now, a decade later, the memories of that historic 2016 run remain just as strong.

Maine-Endwell’s journey to Williamsport was nearly perfect from the start. The team went 24-0 throughout its entire tournament run, eventually earning a spot in the Little League World Series championship game. There, the team faced South Korea with a world championship on the line.

The result was a 2-1 victory, sending the team into history as Little League World Series champions.

For the players, the championship was the culmination of weeks of baseball, travel, and pressure. For the Southern Tier, it became something much bigger. The community rallied around the team throughout the summer, with families, friends, and fans following every game. Once Maine-Endwell returned home as world champions, the celebration continued.

The accomplishment was historic on multiple levels.

Maine-Endwell became the first New York team to win the Little League World Series since Staten Island in 1964. The team also became the first to win the World Series while receiving the Jack Losch Sportsmanship Award in the same year.

But ten years later, the players don't just remember the wins or the championship trophy.

They remember being teammates. They remember the bus rides, the dugout celebrations, the packed stands, and the experience of playing on baseball's biggest youth stage.

Perhaps most importantly, they remember what it meant to have an entire community behind them.

A decade later, those kids have grown up. Some continued their baseball careers into college, with some going on to play professionally. Still, regardless of where baseball has taken them, they will always be connected by what happened in the summer of 2016.

Twenty-four games. Twenty-four wins. One world championship. A summer the Southern Tier will never forget.