US Little League Champions - Paseo Verde's Journey To Williamsport

National Champions // Grinning is Paseo Verde's All Star Team after winning the United States Championship at the Little League Baseball World Series this August, in Williamsport Pennsilvania. (Photo Courtesy of Carsynn Meyer)

Nobody expected them to win the Nevada State Championship - and now they are the US Little League Champions. Paseo Verde Little League’s 12u All Star team made it to youth baseball's biggest stage in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, playing 5 games in Lamade Stadium, broadcasted on ESPN and ABC. 

The journey to get here was a long one. These 12-year-olds gave up their summers to play baseball, having no idea how far this journey would take them. Leading up to the District Two tournament in July, where the Little Leagues in and around the Henderson area face off to qualify for the state tournament, they practiced each night in preparation. They dominated the district tournament, then the state tournament, ending by winning a championship that the state of Nevada was not expecting. 

“I knew that we would beat Spring Valley in the end, but I was surprised to see that’s who we were facing,” Carsynn Meyer, Paseo Verde player, explains. “I thought we would be beaten out by last year's US Champions, Summerlin South.“

Winning the state tournament took them to the next step. The Mountain Region Tournament took place in San Bernardino, California, the week of August 8th through the 14th. In this tournament, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado competed to represent the Mountain Region in Williamsport at the LLWS (Little League World Series). Nevada dominated, ending the tournament undefeated, by scoring 27 runs over the course of 3 games, allowing only 5 runs from their opponents. 

Following their win over Montana in the Mountain Region championship, the team set off for Williamsport, Pennsylvania. There, they had a media day for their upcoming ESPN broadcasts, a “Grand Slam Parade” through the city of Williamsport with nearly 40,000 attendees, and practices before their upcoming games. 

The now Mountain region team played 5 games during their time in Williamsport. They first defeated Great Lakes in a nail-biter game with a score of 6-5. They continued in the winners bracket defeating the Northwest team 5-0, Midwest 14-6, and Great Lakes again in the United States Championship 12-2. 

The Mountain Region team from Henderson, Nevada, are now the United States Champions. As the US champions, they faced the international tournament's champions, Curaçao, in the World Series Championship. Unfortunately, the game against Curaçao didn’t go Nevada’s way, and they lost in their very last game 2-11. 

The team is now back home, and they have been in the spotlight ever since. From news stories, newspaper articles, radio interviews, and special appearances at professional games and practices, these local 12-year-olds are not only hometown heroes, but celebrities. 

Carsynn Meyer, number 13 in the Little League Baseball World Series tournament, made history and headlines as one of only two girls in this year’s Baseball World Series. She is the 26th girl to play in the tournament since 1974, the 6th to record an RBI (run batted in), the first to record an RBI in the US championship game, and the first girl from the US to play in the international World Series championship game. 

“The coolest part of the experience for me was the opening (Grand Slam) parade,” Meyer said, “I felt like a celebrity because everyone wanted autographs, and it was a really special moment.”

(Photo Courtesy of Carsynn Meyer)

Meyer’s signed batting gloves she wore during the World Series tournament didn’t make it home with her. Instead, the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, asked for her signed gloves to be displayed in their museum. 

“I didn’t realize how big of an accomplishment this was until someone reminded me this is the same museum that Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Greg Maddox, Nolan Ryan, and Jackie Robinson are in,” Meyer said. “It hasn’t even sank in yet that I will be there amongst the greatest of all time.”

The celebration for the champions took place on Saturday, September 19th, from 9-11 AM at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson. Henderson celebrated the team and their success with games, activities, and giveaways. Hundreds of people from the community came together for a ceremony, pronouncing September 19th, 2026, "Paseo Verde Little League Champions Day in the state of Nevada" and "Paseo Verde US Champions Day in the city of Henderson."