By: Julia Ordaz
Making headlines as the MVP of the Little League World Series is twelve year old, Gavin Weir, from the Sioux Fall Little League. After a gap year the Little League World Series is back, and the teams participating in this tournament are full of the best eleven and twelve year old players the country has to offer, but the player that stands out above the rest is Gavin Weir.
This young boy is garnering the admiration of many on social media, and has even been compared to the likes of Boston Red Sox player Chris Sale for their almost identical pitches.
Weir’s statistics are certainly impressive, in the game against California he threw a total of fourteen strikes across the six innings. To put this into perspective, the highest number of strikeouts thrown in a single game is twenty-one over sixteen innings, by Tom Cheney of the Washington Senators. Over a total of 37.2 innings, Weir allowed no earned runs, with only one hit.
Weir’s incredible eighty-three pitches in the game against California earned him four days of rest, making him unable to pitch in the quarterfinal. In the quarterfinal against Ohio, Weir made a diving catch in center field. Although ultimately losing the game, Weir’s catch made its way into the highlight reels, with thousands of views on Twitter.
Weir has grown up in a baseball oriented environment, playing since he was four years old. He has said his progress is possible because, “Everybody is giving me the support to be my best, to be me.” Weir also used to play with his brother’s team, an age group three years up. His aspirations are high, as he aims to be like major league player Mike Trout from the Los Angeles Angels. In an interview with ESPN, Weir stated that one of his keys to success was drinking root beer every night. Who knows, if it works for Weir it might work for you too!
Undoubtedly though, it is because of his dedication and passion, that Weir has been able to reach such amazing heights. Gavin Weir is the breakout star of this year’s Little League World Series, and we can expect so much more from him in these coming years.
beniciapaw.com 