The Elmhurst/River Forest 14U baseball team was eager to participate in the Junior League World Series this week in Taylor, Michigan for the fourth consecutive year. The team, which had four River Forest residents participating, had plenty of momentum after winning the Central Region last week in impressive fashion and felt confident about their chances in this year’s tournament.
Unfortunately, the team will not get an opportunity to make a run at the World Series title. On Aug. 6, the Little League International Tournament Committee announced in a press release that a player on the team should not have been eligible to play in the postseason. As a result, the team was disqualified from participating in the World Series and that Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, the team Elmhurst/River Forest defeated for the Central Region Championship, would instead represent the region.
“Upon the review of a protest filed against the Elmhurst Youth Baseball Little League, the Little League International Tournament Committee has verified that a player on its Junior League Baseball team is ineligible to play as outlined in Little League Official Regulations, Playing Rules, and Operating Policies,” Little League said in the release. “Upon review by the Little League International Tournament Committee, in conjunction with the Central Region Office, the Tournament Committee has ruled the player ineligible and therefore has deemed the Elmhurst Youth Baseball Little League’s Junior League Baseball Tournament Team ineligible to participate further in the International Tournament and will forfeit its last played game.”
When contacted by Wednesday Journal, Elmhurst/River Forest 14U head coach Rob Fleming sent a text message containing a statement from Elmhurst Youth Baseball, which reads as follows:
“The Little League International Tournament Committee has ruled that a player on Elmhurst Youth Baseball’s 13/14U Junior League team was ineligible under Little League regulations and has determined that the team may not continue in the International Tournament.
“That player was ruled ineligible because Elmhurst Youth Baseball failed to complete required registration documentation. It was our administrative responsibility, and we did not meet it. It was not the responsibility of any player on the team. No athlete on this roster had any role in it, any knowledge of it, or any ability to prevent it.
“To our players and their families, we are sorry. You trusted us with their season, and we did not do what was required to protect it. That is on us. No explanation makes it right, and we are not going to offer one. We are heartbroken that your season has ended this way.
“Our hearts are with these young men and their coaches. They earned every opportunity they received on the field, and our coaches did right by them all season. What ended their season was our failure, not theirs.
“On Aug. 6, the President of Elmhurst Youth Baseball met personally with the families to explain the situation and answer their questions. Elmhurst Youth Baseball confirms that no player on this team had any role in the administrative failures that led to this decision, and that no player was told anything other than that he was cleared to play.
“Based on the information available to Elmhurst Youth Baseball, there is no indication that the board, as a body or individuals of the board, has knowledge of or participated in any improper conduct or wrongdoing. This was an unfortunate set of circumstances whereas there was a misunderstanding in communication between Elmhurst Youth Baseball and Little League.
“Out of respect for the privacy of the families and children involved, Elmhurst Youth Baseball will not be making any further public comment regarding this matter. We ask our community to keep the focus where it belongs – on the accomplishments, sportsmanship, and resilience of these young athletes.”