Looking Back at 30 Years of
Softball World Series in Kalamazoo
THE TEAMS
It all started in August of 1980 when four Little League softball teams and four Senior League softball teams came to Kalamazoo for our first world series tournament. The Little League teams that year were from Greenwood IL, Seymour CT, King NC, and Glendale CA, with Glendale winning their first of two Little League titles. The Senior League teams in 1980 were from Tallmadge OH, Sanford ME, Naples FL, and Pittsburg CA, with Naples winning their first of eleven senior titles.
After 1980, Kalamazoo hosted the Little League and Senior League through 1993. In 1994 the Little League World Series moved to Portland OR and the Big League World Series came to Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo continued to host the Senior League and Big League World Series through 2001 after which The Senior League World Series moved to Jeffersontown KY, leaving Kalamazoo with the Big League World Series which continues to be hosted in Kalamazoo.
In 1989 the Senior League World Series became an international tournament with Canada entering a team from Windsor Ontario. In 1991 the Little League World Series also became an international tournament with Canada entering a team from Victoria BC. Additional international teams have been added to the tournaments over the years: in 1993 a team from Svoboda, Czech Rep., representing EMEA, entered the Little League tournament; international teams entered the Senior League tournament with a team from Trutnov, Czech Republic representing EMEA in 1993, a team from Mexico City representing Latin America in 1996 and a team from Guagua, Philippines representing the Far East in 1997.
The Big League World Series became an international tournament in 1994 when a team from Calgary Alberta representing Canada entered the tournament. In 2000 a team from Yabucoa PR representing Latin America, in 2001 a team from Manila Philippines representing the Far East and in 2001 a team from Antwerp Belgium representing EMEA entered the tournament.
In 30 years we have had 304 total teams with 145 different teams participating in the three World Series:
Little League (61 total teams with 31 different teams in 14 years):
Canada:
Victoria BC (2) Duncan BC
Central:
Greenwood IL Tallmadge OH (7) Brookfield IL (2) Indianapolis IN (3)
East:
Seymour CT Providence RI Mid Island NY Minnersville PA
Glasdow DE (4) Chamberburg PA (2) East Lyme CT Shippensburg PA (2)
Islip NY
EMEA:
Svoboda, Czech Republic
Michigan:
Essexville Jenison
South:
King NC(3) Tampa FL(3) Salem VA Naples FL (5)
Waco TX (2)
West:
Glendale CA (4) Gresham OR (2) Vancouver WA Albuquerque NM
Hawthorne CA Tucson AZ (2) Marysville WA (2) Keizer OR
Senior League (115 total teams with 70 different teams in 21 years):
Canada:
Victoria BC (7) Duncan BC (3) Windsor Ont (2)
Central:
Tallmadge OH (5) South Bend IN Portsmouth OH Des Moines IA
Jenison MI (4) W. Portsmouth OH Essexville MI Hammond IN
Appleton WI So. Holland IL Fort Wayne IN Portage MI
Conneaut OH Jeffersontown KY
District 2:
Portage MI (2)
East:
Sanford ME Shippensburg PA Bristol PA Greensburg PA
Waterford CT Minnersville PA Glasgow DE (4) Williamsport PA
Bridgeton NJ (2) East Lyme CT Salem NH Hatboro PA
Seaford DE Warrington PA Wilmington DE Westfels MA
Scarborough ME
EMEA:
Trutnov Czech Rep. (2) UFA Russia (2) Moscow Russia Ramstein AP Germany
Antwerp Belgium
Far East:
Guam Guagua Philippines ((3) Bulacon Philippines
Latin America:
Mexico City (2) San Nicolas Aruba (2) Guadalupe Mexico
South:
Naples FL (16) Orange Park FL Canton NC Waco TX
Oviedo FL Inverness FL
West:
Pittsburg CA (2) Sunnyvale CA Portland OR (2) Tucson AZ
Albuquerque NM Campbell CA (2) Tigard OR Glendale CA (3)
LaGrande OR Hercules CA LaCrescenta CA Mountain View CA
Lancaster CA Kaneohe HA Rogue River OR Santa Cruz Valley AZ
Big League (128 total teams with 44 different teams in 16 years):
Canada:
Calgary Alberta Windsor Ont (6) Victoria BC (9)
Central:
Elgin IL (2) Grand Rapids MI (10) Beardstown IL (2) Indianapolis IN (2)
East:
Williamsport PA (3) So. Maryland (7) Dover DE Laural DE
Bristol CT Seymour CT (2) Scranton PA
EMEA:
Antwerp, Belgium; Windmills, Netherlands (4); Brzeg, Poland
Far East:
Bulacan Philippines, Manila Philippines (6), Rizal Philippines
Latin America:
Yabucoa PR, San Juan PR (9)
South:
Naples FL, Tampa FL (2), Eagleton TN (2), Dunedin FL (2),
Charleston WV (6), San Antonio TX, Deltona FL, Cartersville GA
Southwest:
Fort Worth TX, San Antonio TX, Austin TX, Hallettsville TX (2)
Pine Bluff AR, Laredo TX, El Campo TX
West:
Hawthorne CA, Anchorage AK, Kailua HI, Antelope Valley CA (11),
Stockton CA, Riverside CA
Host:
Kalamazoo District 2 (16) |
