Here are five things to know about the history-making Hamilton team:
West Side beginnings
West Side, a nonprofit youth baseball league, held its first opening day on May 24, 1952.
Since then, the program has won state titles in five decades from the 1980s to the 2020s and advanced to the World Series in 1991, 1993, 2007, 2010 and 2021.
“West Side Little League, I think that’s our town’s version of ‘Rocky’,” Mayor Pat Moeller said during a council meeting. “After you lose 9-0, then you come back, win a couple games, that’s grit. I’ll be honest with you, that’s Hamilton, Ohio. And we wish them the best of luck.”
Credit: Staff photo by Nick Daggy
Credit: Staff photo by Nick Daggy
Coach Ken Coomer
This year’s team is coached by Ken Coomer and it’s the first time in recent memory a member of the Nichting family has not been a part of the LLWS team.
Ray Nichting, 88, was there early on and managed the West Side World Series teams in 1991 and 1993. His son, Tim, 61, started coaching with his father in 1983 and never left the program. This year, Tim coached his grandson, a member of the 11-year-old All-Stars that won state.
“I’ve always been involved in Little League,” Coomer said. “My family’s always been involved. Even when I was a kid, my dad was involved. After I got through college, I got involved in Little League. It’s always been a part of my life.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Fans, teams cheer on West Side
On Wednesday, the Ohio State Buckeyes football team shared a video on Twitter of a number of players — Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Zach Harrison, Sevyn Banks, Master Teague III and Nicholas Petit-Frere — wishing West Side luck.
The Cincinnati Reds released a similar video with Kyle Farmer and Amir Garrett talking about West Side.
Good luck Hamilton West Side in the @LittleLeague World Series today! ⚾️#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/noHgCkVhER
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 25, 2021
Miami RedHawks baseball coach Danny Hayden sent his best wishes via a Twitter video as well.
Hamilton Chamber of Commerce President Dan Bates said when the West Side wins “it’s great for the whole community. People pump out their chests and are proud of these kids. Anytime Hamilton is on the map for something positive, it’s great. I’m sure the players love what they’re doing and their intent is not to promote the city, but they’re doing such a great job of it.”
“They are the mayors right now,” Mayor Pat Moeller said, adding he plans to send the team more Hamilton bottled water. “They make us all so proud. It’s exciting for the entire city, the whole region.”
Coronavirus impact on the Little League Series
One year after it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 version of the Little League World Series is being impacted by the disease.
Typically, the double-elimination baseball tournament in South Williamsport, Pa., includes eight international and eight U.S. teams. But due to COVID concerns, no international teams are playing this year, leaving 16 U.S. teams — including the West Side Little League All-Stars from Hamilton — vying for the World Series championship.
Because of rising COVID cases around the country, Little League International decided to cancel general admission to the World Series. Each qualifying team will receive 250 passes for friends, families and community members.
The parents will be permitted to talk to their children at a safe distance or talk on the phone.
How to watch them play Sunday
West Side will play Taylor North Little League from Michigan at 3 p.m. Sunday. The Michigan team defeated Honolulu, 2-1, in Saturday’s semifinal. The game will air on ABC.
O-H-I-O‼️ pic.twitter.com/aolXP5rARX
— Little League (@LittleLeague) August 28, 2021
