Chesterfield Little League heads to Southeast Regional with goals of reaching the Little League World Series

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Last Tuesday, the Chesterfield Little League All-Stars made history by winning the Virginia Little League State Tournament, securing their spot in the Southeast Regionals in Warner Robins, Georgia.

The win gives the team an opportunity to advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport.

“It’s incredible. I mean, once we succeeded in that win, we were like crying. It was awesome,” said pitcher Sawyer Barnett, reflecting on the team’s state tournament victory.

Looking ahead to the regional tournament, Nolan Latora expressed his enthusiasm: “I’m just looking forward to hanging out with my friends on the team and winning regionals.”

The Chesterfield All-Stars are striving to reach a milestone that hasn’t been done by a Richmond area team since 1993 when Tuckahoe advanced to the Little League World Series.

“At this point, this is the biggest thing in sports that they could have done so far, so it’s almost a surreal thing that that happened,” said head coach Eric Latora. “To beat the best teams around here, who are the best teams in the state, and then actually beat some of the best teams in the state—they loved it. They were emotional. The parents loved it. They were emotional.”

The Chesterfield All-Stars are now just four wins away from reaching Williamsport. Their first game in the double-elimination Southeast Regional is set for Thursday against West Virginia. If they win their first two games, they will advance to the Southeast Semifinals, where they will compete in front of a national audience on ESPN on Sunday, August 4th, at 2:00 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRIC ABC 8News.