Connecticut clout! Bristol LL All-Stars latest force from state to surge into World Series

By Rick Menning

BRISTOL, CT -- For the fourth time in the past five years, a Little League Major Division Softball All-Star team from Connecticut will be repping the state at the World Series in Greenville, North Carolina.

This year's New England champions provided some major sparkle to that remarkable streak with a comeback for the ages in their all-important showdown against Rhode Island last Thursday.

CAROLINA, HERE THEY COME! The Bristol Little League Softball All-Stars are headed to the World Series in Greenville, North Carolina following a sensational last-inning comeback in the New England Region championship game against Rhode Island. (Photo courtesy of Bristol Little League.)

While it's been commonplace from those competing under The Nutmeg State's banner on Breen Field to shine on such a big stage, never has an explanation point been put to that dominance more than in the thrilling last-inning rally from a 3-1 deficit.

Connecticut pride -- that will to win and never giving up regardless of the circumstances -- was showcased in front of a national television audience and a crowd estimated by regional officials at close to 1,400.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going and that was certainly the case for the Bristol girls in earning a flight south to the World Series.

Since the summer of 2022, Connecticut teams have left the campus of the A. Bartlett Giamatti Leadership Training Center with the New England crown in every year with the exception of the summer of 2024. In that regional, Rhode Island took the title.

Other than that, it's been all Connecticut.

Guilford defeated Maine for the regional title last summer, and Milford earned trips to Stallings Stadium (a stone's throw from East Carolina University) in both 2022 and 2023. Milford had won six straight state championships before Guilford dethroned that program last summer.

Three's company in New England reign

Bristol All-Star Manager Adam Whitlock noted that Milford and Guilford have laid the foundation for the success that Connecticut has enjoyed in recent years.

"Milford and Guilford are phenomenal Little League programs, so to now be where they are and succeed, like they have done, with timely hitting and strong pitching is great," Whitlock said. "I feel very fortunate to be right there with those programs."

And like those two perennial shoreline stalwarts in softball, Whitlock noted that Bristol's commitment to excellence starts with great families who buy into the process, give their time and make sacrifices during their children's developmental years in the sport.

"I think it starts with the families. They raise good kids who trust one another and then they work at it to be where they are today," Whitlock said. "It's all the stuff you don't see (away from the spotlight). Stuff they do in the winter, and stuff they do in the fall and spring to sharpen the sword and get better at their craft."

And, perhaps most importantly, the players who are now headed to the Little League Softball World Series never forget their roots.

"These are the same kids who stick around and play with the T-ball kids to give them the same opportunity they had when they were five or six years old. This is why I'm so happy with where we are as a program and what we've built here in Bristol."--Manager Adam Whitlock.

Whitlock knew that even though the girls were behind 3-1 in the regional finale that their heart and relying on their abilities would win out at crunch time with a World Series berth on the line.

"This team has played together for so long; there's so much trust and belief in one another that they actually saw themselves pushing across the next two runs and eventually the third (that won the game)," he said.

Every batter charged up in sixth inning

When Juliana Pavlak made solid contact resulting in a sharply hit grounder to second base leading off the decisive and memorable sixth inning against Rhode Island, it showed the resilience of Bristol's squad in rising to the occasion.

Although she didn't beat it out to first base, Juliana's effort epitomized the resilience of the squad to persevere through all the pressure of the moment.

That spirit to succeed carried over to the next six batters as Rhode Island would not record another out in Bristol's biggest rally of the All-Star tournament season.

Lucy Bastiaanse's inside-the-park home run was followed by consecutive base hits from Keeva Knowles and Lucy Kalat, an intentional walk to Ava Lefurgey, an RBI infield single by Makinnley Whitlock and a game-winning RBI infield liner from Avery Collins.

For Keeva, watching Lucy B's rocket shot down the left field line and the excitement of seeing her round the bases at full speed provided an opportunity to build on that momentum.

"I just knew that was the time to really focus and get a hit because it was a very crucial time in the game. We were going insane in the dugout after Lucy's home run ... I just wanted to keep the excitement going."--Keeva Knowles.

Keeva was not surprised at all that her team did not stop there and continued to maintain a determined offensive mindset.

"We weren't focused on hitting the ball super hard but just getting runners on base and that's what we got," noted Bristol's first baseman, who shined in the field with 12 putouts -- either assisted or unassisted -- during the regional. "Each one of us was just thinking 'get base hits.'"

And they did just that with a literal production line of important rips as the team was in total rally mode.

Lucy K., who ignited Bristol's firepower at the state championship game in Waterford with a rocket-blast home run to center field, admitted to some butterflies when her turn came in the sixth inning. However, she was also confident that she could keep that same approach at the plate during her highly pivotal at-bat.

"It was all kind of a blur but I kept thinking 'yes you can do this, yes you can do this and (the hit) just happened. I was a little nervous and a little scared but I told myself to just do my best."--Lucy Kalat.

With two Bristol runners on base, Ava was intentionally walked to set the stage for Makinnley's game-tying infield hit.

"It was so amazing to do that! We play so well together; it's crazy that we're going to the World Series. This is so much fun. It's all a dream come true."--Makinnley Whitlock.

Pitching again masterful in the regional

Ava Lefurgey admitted to not knowing much about pitchers Sophia Horvack (Milford/2022), Grace Weber (Milford/2023) and Maeve Eagleson (Guilford/2025) during our interview after her terrific three-game performance inside the circle that spearheaded Bristol into the Little League Softball World Series.

But Ava said she is very happy to be named among Connecticut's long list of sensational pitchers in the New England Regional. Ava joins those standout pitchers as she amassed 31 strikeouts in her three games inside the circle against Rhode Island (twice) and Maine.

"It's so special to be a starting pitcher, and to now be among those girls who did so well here. I'm very happy. I made my pitches and when I got behind (in the count) I just focused on throwing strikes."--Ava Lefurgey.

Sophia excelled in all three games for World Series-bound Milford in 2022, while Grace was lights-out in her starting role throughout Milford's three games enroute to returning to Greenville in 2023. Then, last summer, Maeve Eagleson came through with 35 strikeouts in Guilford's four-game New England title romp and a trip to North Carolina.

Good pitching comes with good catching

No one knows Ava's pitch selection and mechanics better than Dakota Green, who handled the catching duties for Bristol through the regional. During each situation where Ava retired Rhode Island batters on called third strikes, her batterymate loved her approach.

"(Ava) was (mixing up) her fast balls and change-ups and some other pitches," said Dakota, who has relatives in North Carolina and is thrilled to be playing in front of them next week.

"Our coach ... gives us signs then I set her up on which pitch to throw. We just stay calm when the count goes to like 3-and-2 or 2-and-0 and hopefully we can work through it. Ava is really good at throwing strikes when that happens."

Dakota said she and her teammates have talked it over and come to the conclusion -- just like the wording in the Little League pledge -- that they will play fair and strive to win but win or lose they will always do their best throughout the World Series.

"We would like to win down there (in North Carolina) but honestly if we don't go the whole way (to the world championship) we all agree as a team that we are just so happy to go there and experience new things. It's going to be amazing, and we are going to love our new gear and meeting all the other teams."--Dakota Green.

inspiration, positivity unites the girls

One of the trademarks of the New England champions is their togetherness both on and off the field.

For Faith Marie Soto, it's all about doing everything in her power to ignite all the passions and emotions that make the Bristol team such a dynamic group of ballplayers.

That was never more evident than in their opening regional game against Maine.

Leading off the third inning and with her team trailing in the game 1-0, Faith Marie drew a leadoff walk. As she was heading toward first base, she continually raised her arms toward the dugout in a motion to encourage her teamamates to get fired up.

She proceeded to steal second, advance to third on a ground out and scored on an RBI single by Lucy B.

In Bristol's 11-1 win against Rhode Island the day before the New England championship game, Faith Marie had a pair of singles and three RBI during a perfect day at the plate.

"I always try to lift the team's spirits and just show them that we can do this. I try to inspire and support my teammates. I'm very happy that we won; we pushed through and especially in that last inning. We were really on our toes."--Faith Marie Soto.

Having a keen vantage point of Thursday's sixth-inning rally, Faith Marie was among the vocal leaders in urging Bristol on to victory.

"It was very nerve wracking, but also very exciting," she said.

Perseverance pays off with going yard

Lucy Bastiaanse grew more determined with each pitch, especially after just missing an extra-base rip twice to left field on previous contacts.

Her never-give-up approach resulted in the inside-the-park home run that sparked Bristol's amazing comeback in the decisive showdown.

"I didn't realize how far the ball had gone until I saw (the Rhode Island outfielder) go all the way to the fence and toward the corner. I just decided to go full and go for it. All I was thinking about was 'keep running and don't let up.'"--Lucy Bastiaanse.

As Bristol's shortstop was rounding first base, she knew she had a chance to race all the way home.

"After I had those two foul balls and there were two strikes, I knew I just had to hit the ball somewhere," Lucy B. told me during a chat while awaiting a coaches, parents and team meeting inside the dorm complex to discuss World Series preparations.

Reaping rewards of their softball ethic

Mary Thompson, who played a stellar second base for Bristol, summed it up perfectly for the district, sectional, state and regional champions.

"It is so special because we all really wanted to go to the World Series! We fought so hard for that opportunity. We never gave up and we were able to rally back."--Mary Thompson.

When the chips were down and three runs were needed, the girls in the white uniforms with the blue lettering and trim knew exactly what to do to achieve their World Series dreams.

"We knew how to overcome (the adversity)," Mary said. "We've had tough games before so we knew what it would take to come back. It wasn't anything new to us."

Next stop: Greenville, North Carolina.

Bristol in prime-time Aug. 3 matchup!

Because of the scheduling draw, the Bristol girls will have to wait until the last game of the first round of World Series to make their debut on the Stallings Stadium at Elm Park diamond.

Bristol takes the field with a 7 p.m. game on Monday, Aug. 3 against the winner of the California vs. Kentucky game from Sunday (Aug. 2) at 4 p.m. The Monday prime-time contest is scheduled to air on ESPN2.

Bristol will compete as a member of the Orange Bracket, which has a field of opponents that include Tom's River, New Jersey (Mid-Atlantic), Owensboro, Kentucky (Central), Live Oak, California (West), Sangō, Japan (Asia-Pacific) and Guayama, Puerto Rico (Latin America).

The Purple Bracket consists of Lake Mary, Florida (Southeast), Clayton, North Carolina (North Carolina), Helotes, Texas (Southwest), Snohomish, Washington (Northwest), Bologna, Italy (Europe/Africa) and a team from Canada TBD.

The entire World Series schedule can be seen here: 2026 Little League Softball® World Series Game Schedule - Little League

Little League Major Division Softball All-Stars

World Series-bound New England champions!

2026 Bristol Major Division Softball All-Stars (in alphabetical order): Lucy Bastiaanse, Avery Collins, Dakota Green, Lucy Kalat, Keeva Knowles, Ava Lefurgey, Alex Patterson, Juliana Pavlak, Faith Marie Soto, Mary Thompson, Ellie Tiscia and Makinnley Whitlock. The manager is Adam Whitlock, and the coaches are Mike Bastiaanse and Kevin Kalat.