Negros Occidental earns sportsmanship award in Little League

Negros Occidental Little League has been named the recipient of the 2022 Girls with Game Team Sportsmanship Award during the 2022 Little League Softball World Series in Greenville, North Carolina.

Negros Occidental LL, hailing from Bacolod City, is the Asia-Pacific Region Champion. According to the Little League organization, they received the sportsmanship award “after displaying sportsmanship both on and off the field throughout its time” in the competition.

“Since the moment they arrived, the players of Negros Occidental Little League have shown the excitement and sportsmanship that makes the Little League World Series experience so meaningful and have proven what it means to be Girls with Game,” said Ashlea Nash, Little League Director of Softball Development.

The Sportsmanship Award recognizes a team that shows what it means to be “Girls with Game” both on and off the field.

Members of the Little League International Staff, LLSWS Tournament Committee, participating managers, volunteers, and media were given the chance to vote on which team they believed should be recognized for the award.

In addition, through its partnership with Athletes Unlimited, Little League International was able to have Athletes Unlimited Softball players contribute to the voting to ultimately determine this year’s recipient.

Negros Occidental, bannered by Bacolod, is the 2019 Asia-Pacific Region champion.

According to a Little League official, because of logistical constraints caused by the pandemic, not enough teams could compete in the Asia-Pacific tournament.

The Little League International Tournament Committee, thus, approved Negros Occidental’s participation at the World Series, citing “the overall strength of participation in the Little League Softball program throughout the Philippines.”

They reached the semifinals of the World Series after a 1-0 win against New England in the Elimination Bracket Final. (ABS-CBN News)