2026 Little League Majors Pennsylvania State Tournament Preview
By: Cody Brady | SportzWire | July 25, 2026 | Photo courtesy Mason Dannenfelser
The eight best Little League Majors teams descend upon Pittston this week in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They will compete for a spot in the Mid-Atlantic tournament in Bristol, Connecticut and all have dreams of eventually making it to South Williamsport for the Little League World Series.
This year, we are partnered with Sportzwire and Penn Sports Radio to call many of the games from Township Little League.
For broadcast coverage, stay tuned to Sportzwire
Day 1 Schedule – Monday, July 27:
10:00am – Hollidaysburg v East Side (West Chester)
1:00pm – Milton v Blue Mountain
4:00 – French Creek Valley v Newtown-Edgmont
7:00 – West Point v Back Mountain
Section 1 – French Creek Valley(Meadville)Manager: Brandon Crum
Record: 6-0
Miles from Pittston: 301
Last State Appearance: 2007
Batting Avg/Team ERA: .468/2.44
French Creek Valley/Meadville is making the league’s first ever trip to states, following district titles as recently as 2018 and 2019. The boys from FCV allowed just one run in their three District 1 contests against Lakeland and Mid East, advancing to the section 1 tournament with relative ease. Calvin Burchill, Mav Adkins III, and Griffin Crum all went yard in the opening 16-1 victory over Lakeland. In a 20-0 rout of Mid East, Meadville scored nine first inning runs with two outs. Sully Richards homered twice in the district title game, an 11-0 victory over Mid East one more time.
Burchill’s bases clearing double in the sixth inning against Butler powered FCV to an 8-4 win in the section opener. Copelan Keller joined the home run party with a 3-run shot in the sixth inning of a 14-7 victory over F.L.A.G. That win moved FCV into the section title game, a 13-1 rout of DuBois. Burchill’s 3-run home run in the fourth triggered the mercy rule and sent FCV to the state tournament. Five different players have combined for ten home runs and French Creek Valley pitching has only walked 11 in six games. They will have their hands full with Section 8 champion Newtown-Edgmont in their opener, Monday at 4:00.
Section 2 – West Point(Greensburg)
Manager: Mike Polinsky
Record: 6-1
Miles from Pittston: 252
Last State Appearance: 2024
Batting Avg/Team ERA: .310/1.79
Dom Bova took the spotlight early for West Point in their first district victory over Norwin. He pitched 5.1 innings and struck out 14, giving up just two hits. The game remained scoreless into the bottom of the fifth, where West Point loaded the bases. Kaden Kriger launched a triple to right, clearing the bases for the only runs of the game. The two battled one more time in a best of three and West Point held a 2-0 lead into the fifth before exploding for nine runs. Bova came up big again, taking a first inning bases loaded walk to force a run home and then singled home two more in the fifth. Lucas Henry struck out seven in four innings of work, as West Point advanced to sectionals.
Finn Walker joined Bova as each pitched three innings against Hermitage in a 10-0 rout. They struck out a combined six and allowed three hits. Carter Finley led the game off with a solo shot over the fence in right. Bryce Gates tacked on a 2RBI single, while three bases loaded walks helped build the lead. West Point then suffered their only postseason loss, a 13-10 game to Bullskin Township where WPLL committed six errors. West Point trailed 8-0 before coming to life in the third, but surrendered five more in the fifth, falling behind 13-4. The team responded with a 15-5 victory against West Allegheny. Carter Finley went 3/3 with 5RBI. West Point then got its chance at revenge—a chance to beat Bullskin Township twice to go to states. And they made it happen. In the first game, four runs crossed in the first inning and held up for the rest of the evening. Singles by Chase Polinsky and Sebastian Worman led to three of those runs after Lucas Henry took a bases loaded walk. Henry threw 4.2 innings of three-hit ball with six Ks and the if-necessary game became necessary. Dom Bova threw 4.2 innings, striking out 11 and giving up only two hits. Bryce Gates’ RBI double in the first inning scored the lone run of the game, as Carter Finley came home. The West Point defense came up big, stranding two Bullskin runners in the third, fourth and fifth innings to hold on for a state playoff spot.
Section 3 – Milton
Manager: Garrett Shnyder
Record: 8-1
Miles from Pittston: 75
Last State Appearance: 2001 – runners-up to State College
Batting Avg/Team ERA: .346/2.25
Milton Little League had not won a single majors All-Stars game in districts since 2015. This year was clearly different under the leadership of manager Garrett Shnyder. Jordan Brown heads the offensive attack for the team, and he made himself known in the district opener, a 10-0 victory over Mifflinburg, by knocking a 3-run bomb out to center field in the first inning. Cohen Knarr pitched a three-hitter in the opener, walking one and striking out three. The winners bracket semifinal was much the same story, as ten players collected at least one hit in a 10-0 rout of Snyder County. Brown did the same, powering one out of the park for a 3RBI shot in the first inning. Emmett Salwocki added a 2RBI day and Peyton Swineford also pushed one across from the bottom of the lineup. Weston Sumner emerged as another top arm for Milton, throwing four innings of two-hit ball and fanning eight.
Milton then emerged victorious in a 7-6 battle with Southern Columbia. The game had some controversy, as a potential dropped third strike was given a second look by the umpires and eventually called a foul ball, giving Milton second life in the third inning. Sumner would then walk and Jordan Brown, on the first pitch he saw, uncorked a 3-run bomb to put his team ahead 5-2. Southern Columbia battled back for a 6-5 lead, but Max Shnyder walked to open the bottom of the sixth and was plated when Cohen Knarr tripled to the fence in right. The two met again for the District 13 title and despite only getting four hits, Milton emerged victorious, 3-1. Sumner pitched a complete game three-hitter, striking out six and sending Milton to sections.
At the sectional tournament, Milton tasted defeat for the first time at the hands of Loyalsock. A few defensive lapses and early hitting from Sock pushed them out to a 6-0 lead in the second inning. Milton battled back but fell 6-3. Zeke White and Brody Ficks tried to lead a comeback charge in the fifth, but an inning end double play silenced that and sent Milton to the elimination bracket. However, it was there that the team came alive again in the later innings. After trailing 7-2 to Elk Lake, the bats awoke with four in the fourth and four more in the sixth. Brody Ficks, Reece Armstrong, Max Shnyder and Weston Sumner led the charge in the fourth. Shnyder stepped to the plate in the sixth and rifled one towards second base. The ball was thrown away into left field, allowing three runs to come in. Jordan Brown pitched the sixth inning, striking out two and advancing Milton to the title series where they would need to defeat Loyalsock twice. It was another battle, this time back and forth into the third inning with Milton leading 6-4. Brown’s 2RBI double proved to put Milton ahead for good, as Sumner struck out two in the bottom of the third, helping produce the first zero on the scoreboard for either side. With Milton’s 10-7 win, a decisive game was set. Both teams scored eatly again, with the game tied at 3-3 going to the fourth. After Sock took the 6-3 lead, Milton countered. The first three reached to load the bases with no outs in the bottom of the frame. Max Shnyder went up the middle to plate two and Zeke White’s grounder back to the mound allowed Milton to tie the game. Shnyder then scored the go-ahead run on a fielders choice hit into by Blake Folmar. Reece Armstrong placed one in left to score Folmar for an 8-6 lead. Folmar then made a spectacular diving catch in left field for the penultimate out of the ballgame before Jordan Brown snagged a grounder and fired to first, giving Milton the berth in states.
Section 4 – Hollidaysburg
Manager: Charlie Burger
Record: 6-0
Miles from Pittston: 185
Last State Appearance: 2025 runners-up to Glenmoore Eagle
Batting Avg/Team ERA: .470/1.20
Eighteen. Eighteen home runs. Yes, in six games. Blake Chamberlain has six of them and is batting .667. Trey Muth has accounted for three more. Eight players have accounted for at least one. Hollidaysburg was not challenged in their district tournament, defeating Phillipsburg and Mount Union(x2) by a combined 40-0 score. In the opener against Phillipsburg, Hollidaysburg hit seven home runs. Chamberlain and Muth each hit two, while CJ Burger, Heath Hanlon and Jace Dodson each added one. Burger and Muth combined on a one-hitter in four innings. Aiden Anderson and Chamberlain combined for a two hitter with seven strikeouts in the first of back to back 11-0 victories over Mount Union. Chamberlain notched a grand slam, as well. Anderson threw three innings in the second meeting, fanning eight over three innings. Sam Mikolajczyk and Kolton Wertz each tacked on 2RBI hits to really break open what had been a 6-0 lead in the third.
The routs continued in section play. Hollidaysburg took care of State College 14-1 in the opener, started off by a Ronan Diehl 3-run bomb in the second inning. Zion Shubik did the same in the third, putting one out to center, before Chamberlain added a solo shot. West Suburban Johnstown was the next victim, as Hollidaysburg rolled one more time, 16-1, into the section title game. Jace Dodson blasted a 3-run home run in the first for a quick 5-0 lead. Chamberlain also cranked a 3-run bomb out to increase the lead to 9-0. CJ Burger threw a one-hitter, striking out eight WSLL batters. State College put Hollidaysburg in a new position in the section championship—a deficit. After trailing 5-0 early, Hollidaysburg had work to do.But one more time, the power shone through. Heath Hanlon’s fourth inning grand slam to deep center boosted the team to an 8-5 victory and spot in the state tournament.
Section 5 – Back Mountain
Manager: Brian Wielgosz
Record: 8-0
Miles from Pittston: 13
Last State Appearance: 2024 runners-up to Council Rock Newtown
Batting Avg/Team ERA: .392/1.11
Back Mountain returns to states after finishing as the runners-up in 2024 to a Council Rock Newtown team that went to South Williamsport. BMTLL kicked off districts with a 4-2 victory over Plains. Jack Katyl doubled in a run in the first inning and Jordan Rollins added one of two insurance runs in the fourth. Katyl pitched 5.2 innings and struck out nine. In a 7-1 victory over Greater Wyoming Area, Max Kovach crushed a 3-run shot to right in the second inning, putting Back Mountain ahead 4-0. Ollie Bross capped the scoring with a 2-run home run in the fifth. Rollins pitched a complete game one-hitter with seven Ks. In a 17-0 victory over Swoyersville, BMTLL pounded out 19 hits, as 11 players were each credited with at least one hit and one RBI. Bruce Knowles accounted for two 2RBI hits in a 10-0 shutout of Kingston/Forty Fort, sending Back Mountain to the District title game against Pittston. Bross pitched the four inning no-hitter against KFF. Jack Katyl again came through in a big way, tossing a one-hitter and striking out nine in a 73-pitch complete game. Katyl was also responsible for the first run of the game, scoring Bross on a first inning single. Isaac Tribendis scored Mac Hanson in the fifth.
Back Mountain was pushed to the brink in sections. They opened up with Carbino Club/Archbald, winning 10-6. Trailing 4-1 in this one, Back Mountain posted a nine run fourth inning. Katyl again came up big, putting his squad ahead 5-4 on a grounder into right that plated Ethan Wielgosz. Rollins and Kovach helped tack on insurance with RBI hits. Katyl was called upon to pitch again in the winners bracket final, a 4-2 win over Abington. This time he threw a four-hit complete game with seven strikeouts. In the section championship against Valley East, Andrew Salko had the big hit—a 2-run home run to center as part of a four run second inning. Salko then made the play at third in the bottom of the fourth to help stall out a Valley East rally, preserving a 4-3 win and berth in states.
Section 6 – Blue Mountain
Manager: Cory Porrino
Record: 9-2
Miles from Pittston: 65
Last State Appearance: 1994 (Cressona Area LL)
Batting Avg/Team ERA: .404/0.77
Blue Mountain Little League emerged from a highly competitive District 24 tournament. Six players put up a multi-hit effort in the opening pool play game, a 17-2 victory over Frackville. Ben Ciccone went 2/2, scoring three times and knocking in two. Chase Goodman chased home three. Goodman and Anthony Grimminger combined to strike out six. Pottsville then held BMLL to three hits in a 6-2 game for their first loss of the posteseason. The bats came back to life in a 20-4 rout of Mahanoy City. The top five in the lineup combined for 11 hits and 11RBI—Max Porrino, Enzo Ritter, Chase Goodman, Ben Ciccone and Jayse Callaghan. Eleven Blue Mountain batters recorded a hit. Goodman and Grimminger combined to strike out eight in the team’s 8-1 victory against Upper Schuylkill County. It was also a combined one-hitter. A pair of RBI hits by Porrino and a 2RBI single from Jacob Gombar spurred Blue Mountain to a 10-0 victory over Frackville in bracket play. Joe Minnick threw three innings of two-hit ball. Chase Goodman’s walkoff grand slam against St. Clair/Port Carbon/New Philadelphia ended an 11-0 gamei n four innings. Porrino and Goodman combined to strikeout seven in an abbreviated one-hitter.
In the district semifinals, Blue Mt. avenged its loss, defeating Pottsville 9-6. Six runs were plated in the fourth, putting BMLL up 8-0. Goodman cracked a solo home run to lead the game off and scored on a passed ball for a late insurance run as Pottsville tried to mount a rally. Grimminger pitched the title game against Ashland, giving up two hits over four innings. The offense cranked out 13 hits and a ten-run fourth to end the game early 18-0. Callaghan cleared the bases on an RBI hit to left.
The section 6 tournament included only three teams, after recent realignment. Blue Mountain opened pool play with an 8-0 victory over Tamaqua, as Minnick and Grimminger combined on a two-hit effort. Ciccone opened the scoring on a 2RBI single to left and then cleared the bases with a hit in the third that went to the wall in left. As Lehigh had also defeated Tamaqua, Blue Mountain and Lehigh met in a somewhat meaningless pool game, both having already advanced to the section championship game. The first meeting went to Lehigh in seven innings, 8-7. Chase Goodman had himself a game, going 3/3 with a solo home run that tied the game late. But when it counted, Blue Mountain went to work. Enzo Ritter scored in the first on a wild pitch and Ciccone singled in Goodman. Grimminger doubled to left, scoring Ciccone and putting Blue Mountain ahead 3-0. Ciccone scored two more on a 3/3 day and Blue Mountain had knocked off a Lehigh team that went to Mid-Atlantics as juniors last year.
Section 7 – East Side (West Chester)
Manager: Robert Hennessey
Record: 7-0
Miles from Pittston: 125
Last State Appearance: 2023(runners-up to Media)
Batting Avg/Team ERA: .398/0.58
East Side Little League from West Chester emerged from District 28, pushing past rivals West Side twice along the way. District play began with a 4-1 win over Avon Grove. Ryan Hennessey had the big hit, a 2RBI double to deep center that put ESLL ahead 3-0. Ryan Donnelly, Cole Warner, and Hennessey combined to strike out 13 batters. Paul Cowperthwait bombed a 3-run shot to left against Kennett and Unionville(KAU) and East Side rolled to a 9-2 victory. Dillion DiGiulio and James Martin each chased home two runs. The team then made a statement against rival West End, burying them 23-0. Nine ESLL players batted in at least two runs. Hennessey led the way with 3RBI and Jack Cassidy had a productive 3-hit effort. In a decisive battle against West Side for the district title, East Side again put the pressure on. Hennessey and Warner each went 3-for-3 at the plate and Warner launched a 2-run home run to cap the scoring. The two combined for 5RBI. Donnely allowed two hits on the mound and struck out 11.
East Side kept the hot bats going in their Section 7 opener, blowing past Dillsburg 13-1. This time, it was the bottom of the order that accounted for five of the ten RBI. Mike Nolan and Patrick Corliss each plated two. Adam Gazonas added another. East Side then proved they can also win the close, low-scoring contests, defeating Greencastle 1-0. A Cowperthwait groundout to third base scored Darren Molineux in the third inning. Six Greencastle runners were stranded on the game, as Hennessey, DiGiulio and Donnely combined to fan nine. East Side completed the Section 7 tournament with a 7-0 win over Dillsburg, allowing only four total runs between districts and sections. Mike Nolan notched a 2-run home run and Hennessey doubled to right to bring home two more, sending ESLL to states. East Side and Hollidaysburg will meet in the Monday 10:00am game to kickoff states with a bang.
Manager: Daren Grande
Record: 8-1
Miles from Pittston: 111
Last State Appearance: 2019 runners-up to East Pennsboro
Batting Avg/Team ERA: .305/2.53
The ultra competitive Section 8 did not disappoint. NELL emerged victorious from District 19, claiming their second straight district title. Despite racking up eight victories in the postseason, NELL was heavily tested by the field in District 19. Their opener was a 7-6 7-inning victory over Marple Township, in which Benny Rosci’s liner into right walked it off. The victory showed early resilience, overcoming a 4-0 first inning deficit. Luke Piselli provided a first inning 2-run shot to give NELL an early lead in a 5-2 victory over Ridley Area. While the offense produced only five hits, the NELL pitching flexed its muscle, as John Sirolli struck out seven over 3.2 innings. Charlie Corsanico scored on a wild pitch to end a 12-2 mercy rule victory over South Marple, putting NELL in the district title game. He also smacked a 3-run home run in the game. In a rematch with Ridley, a 2-1 lead persisted into the fifth inning, where NELL exploded for six runs to put it away. Logan Harfst got the rally going with a 2RBI double stroked up the middle. Piselli was hit by a pitch and Corsanico walked to force in two more. Strolli struck out 13 and NELL was off to sections.
The section opener was the lone loss of the postseason for Newtown-Edgmont, falling 6-2 to Plymouth. One loss from their season ending, the team from Newtown Square rallied for four straight victories, starting with a 2-1 squeaker against Upper Providence. Strolli pitched a complete game, striking out UPLL batters 13 times, walking just one and allowing two hits. Brayden Humphrey walked with the bases loaded in the second and Orie White’s bunt single back to the pitcher brought in the game winning score. Next up was some revenge, as NELL dropped an eight-run second inning on Plymouth in an 11-1 four inning ballgame. Harfst, Rosci and Graeme Beary all had 2RBI evenings and Plymouth was held to three hits.
Council Rock Newtown was the opponent for the section title series, and NELL needed two victories to advance. After CR Newtown took a 5-1 lead into the fourth, it was do-or-die time for NELL. Benny Rosci got a fourth inning rally going by lining one into center. Jai Bohn also put one up the middle to score two—suddenly NELL trailed just 5-4. Piselli tied the game up in the fifth with an RBI hit into left. After Luke worked around an error in the top of the sixth, his squad had one more chance to get it done in the bottom half of the inning and they came through. A leadoff walk to Logan Harfst provided to be deadly and the bases were soon loaded with two outs for Orie White. White went back up the middle on the third pitch he saw, bringing home the winning run in Harfst, forcing the decisive championship game. All the scoring in this one came in the first inning, as a 2RBI single from Harfst would prove to be enough in a 2-1 title bout. NELL pitching stranded seven CR Newtown runners over the next few innings and hung on, advancing to states for the first time since 2019.
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