Texas Little League Team Caught in Legal Dispute After Earning Trip to World Series

WACO, TX — After qualifying for the Little League World Series on Monday, the team from Boerne, Texas is refusing to follow a court order and play another regional championship game Tuesday.

Boerne Little League has stated it will not return to Waco for a scheduled Southwest Region championship game and is instead preparing for the World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, according to sources close to the situation.

The sources said Boerne has the backing of Little League International’s legal team and will not play Tulsa National Little League in the game that had been expected to determine the Southwest Region champion.

The development comes less than 24 hours after Boerne celebrated a 4-1 victory over Louisiana’s Ascension Parish Little League on Monday night. Boerne, representing Texas West, believed the victory had secured its place in the World Series after Tulsa National was removed from the tournament.

Little League International announced Monday that Tulsa National’s 12U team had been disqualified from the Southwest Region Tournament after determining that an ineligible player had participated on the team.

Hours after Boerne’s victory, however, parents and players from Tulsa National challenged the disqualification in court with the league’s support. Judge Ryan Luna of the 414th District Court granted a temporary restraining order Monday, according to a statement from representatives supporting Tulsa National.

The ruling initially appeared to put Tulsa National back into the tournament and set up a rematch with Boerne at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Waco. The winner was expected to advance to Williamsport.

The prospect of another game created logistical and pitching challenges for Boerne. Many players had already left Waco after Monday’s game and would have had to return Tuesday. The team also would have needed to adjust its pitching plans after using key pitchers against Ascension Parish.

Tulsa National said after the court ruling that the decision would allow its players to settle the regional championship on the field.

“The winner of the game will be determined on the field where it should be decided,” the league said in a statement.

For Boerne, the legal dispute has produced a dramatic reversal in less than a day. The team went from celebrating a regional championship, to preparing for another potential elimination game, to once again making plans for the Little League Baseball World Series.