TOP 10 STORIES OF 2025 – NO. 2 | West Suburban Little League etched names into local sports history

Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series of Top 10 stories published in The Tribune- Democrat. Wednesday’s story on West Suburban Little League, a Bishop McCort Catholic Academy and Team USA wrestler and the All American Amateur Baseball Association Tournament is No. 2.

Twelve girls from West Suburban Little League etched their names into the annals of local sports history this summer, all while bringing a shared sense of unity and celebration to the community.

Advertisement

Mallory Bailor, Aubrey Baxter, Reagan Bills, Sadie Divido, Kennedy Fees, Camilla Gaunt, Adalyn Hines, Mara Keefe, Kendal Schilling, Leilah Schilling-Mansour, Haley Shepherd and Nevaeh Worthington won the 2025 Little League Softball World Series title in August.

They defeated Floyds Knobs, Indiana, 1-0 in the championship game that took place in North Carolina.

It was the most watched Little League softball game ever with an average of 1.44 million viewers and a peak of 2.98 million viewers, according to espnpressroom.com.

Their performance created a local buzz that included a celebratory homecoming at the league’s Laurel Auto Sports Complex in Upper Yoder Township.

Advertisement

“It feels so good just to know that my community was with us and they were supporting and watching,” Bills, the team’s star pitcher who went 5-0 with four shutouts in the series, said during the welcome home. “It just means the world.”

There was also a parade in Johnstown that honored the West Suburban team, along with Bishop McCort Catholic Academy and Team USA wrestler Keegan Bassett, who won a 17U World Championship freestyle gold medal; and Mainline Pharmacy, which captured the All American Amateur Baseball Association Tournament title within a short time span.

AAABA runner-up Mainline Pharmacy and West Suburban’s champions in 10-U state softball, 10-U district baseball, 12-U district baseball, 11-U district baseball and 8-U district softball were also recognized.

Dave Sutor is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Sutor.