The Backyard Batting Cage

By Communications Division
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.

Little League International mourns the passing of former New York District 7 Administrator George Cheresnowsky. He was 92.

Mr. Cheresnowsky of Sayre, N.Y., began his volunteer service to Little League in 1953. He was elected as President of Owego (N.Y.) Little League (OLL) in 1962, and held that position until 1966. More than a decade later, he was again elected OLL President serving three years (1977-79), before his election as District Administrator.

Elected as New York District 7 Administrator (DA) in 1980, Mr. Cheresnowsky served as DA for 20 years (1980-to-2000); and then volunteered as an Assistant District 7 Administrator.

Mr. Cheresnowsky, a decorated World War II veteran; was known as

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Mr. Mike Muranaka

By Communications Division
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.
July 19, 2012

What started as a few hours a week helping his wife, Joi, turned into a passion for Mike Muranaka.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Mr. Muranaka was first introduced to the Little League Challenger program in 1992 when his wife, who was on the San Ramon (Calif.) Little League Board of Directors, was asked to assist with the fledgling Challenger program. His two children, Mathew and Michelle, also volunteered as buddies, along with Joi, enough people to cover the whole team.

A few years later, Mr. Muranaka’s neighbor, Ed Huestes, who was the President of the San Ramon Little League, ask him to take over the position of Challenger Coordinator for the league. He accepted, starting a 26-year dedication and resolve to provide the children in the program with the very best of everything he could.

Now the Challenger Coordinator for California District 57, Mr. Muranaka has been selected as the recipient of the 2012 Challenger Award.

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By Communications Division
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.

2012 Senior League Softball World Series Results/Statistics


The 2012 Senior League Softball World Series, featuring 10 teams from around the world, begins Sunday with two games at 5:30 p.m. The World Series is played in Lower Sussex, Del.

The teams are split into two pools with each team playing each of the other teams in that pool. The top two teams in each pool advance to the semifinals on Aug. 10.

Teams in the Senior League Softball World Series field include:

Pool A

District 11/South Bend, Ind. (Central Region champion)
Lombardia LL/Lombardia, Italy (EMEA Region champion)
ASOFEM LL/Manaubo, Puerto Rico (Latin America Region champion)
Cape Coral Softball LL/Cape Coral, Fla. (Southeast Region champion)
Vidalia Girls Softball LL/Vidalia, La. (Southwest Region champion)

Pool B

District 1/Guam (Asia-Pacific Region champion)
District 5/Windsor, Ontario (Canada Region champion)
Woodbridge LL/Greenwood, Del. (Host)
Northwest/Mile High LL/Butte, Mont. (West Region champion)
West Cumberland Little League/Cumberland County, New Jersey (East Region champion)

All of the real-time scoring for each game of the 37th Senior League Softball World Series is available here. Follow all eight of the 2012 World Series Tournaments here. A listing of dates and televised games is available here: TV Schedule.

The Senior League Softball World Series for players, ages 13 to 16, will be played Aug. 5-11. On Saturday, Aug. 11, the Senior League Softball World Series Championship game will be televised lived on ESPN at noon Eastern U.S. Time.

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By Communications Division
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.

 2012 Little League Urban Initiative Baseball Camp Scholarship recipients enjoyed a trip to Little League International and the opportunity to improve their skills and make their own memories during the final camp session of the summer.

DaVarwin Davis from West Dallas (Texas) Little League; Keilan Walker of Sacramento (Calif.) Airport Little League; James Beckum Little Leaguer Mareo Hunter from Milwaukee, are all 12 years old, while Gabriel Garcia of Memphis (Tenn.) Little League is 11.

The quartet of scholarship recipients enjoyed a week of camp that included round-trip transportation and free tuition to the Little League Baseball Camp in South Williamsport, Pa.

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By Communications Division
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.

The safety and security of everyone, including both the participants and the fans, at the Little League Baseball World Series is one of the most important considerations in the preparation for one of the summer’s most anticipated events.

Since 1999, Lenel Systems International, Inc. has contributed technology, supplies, services, manpower and expertise to help safeguard the World Series while restricting access to unauthorized people. For their contribution to making the Little League Baseball World Series a safe and secure environment, the global leader in advanced security systems has been selected as the recipient of the 2012 W. Howard Hartman Little League Friendship Award.

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U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Richard L. Berry

By Communications Division
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.

Little League International mourns the passing of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Richard L. Berry. He was 27.

Staff Sgt. Berry of Scottsdale, Ariz., a paratrooper, was killed in the Kandahar province, located in southern Afghanistan, while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

A native of Scottsdale, Staff Sgt. Berry was a graduate of South Scottsdale Little League. His father, Rick Berry, Sr., is a former president of South Scottsdale Little League.

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