WACO, Texas — What's better than one Little League World Series title? Two in a row!
The Midway Softball All-Star team has their eyes set on a two-peat.
"It was a great feeling because half of us have already experienced it, so we were really excited to get to do it again," Kyndal Brown, a 12-year-old left fielder and 2022 LLWS champion, said.
Nine Midway Softball stars are ready to hit the road to the World Series for a second straight year, but for some, there's a first for everything.
"For the new players, they were really excited because they've never done this before," Brown said. "So, we're really excited to be able to tell them what's gonna be happening at the World Series."
Midway earned their spot in the Series by shutting out Texas East on July 27.
"It's really exciting because we're about to go back to school and we get to finish the summer traveling with our friends, playing our favorite sport," said Brown.
Brown has been playing softball since she was 4 years old, with her dad right there for every single inning.
"Watching them play and watching their hard work pay off, that's what I love to see," Chad Brown, Kyndal's dad, said. "That's what makes me more excited than anything. Especially when a girl does something really good, hits a home run, makes a diving catch or makes a clutch hit. I remember when they were working and I'm just glad it pays off for these girls."
Chad Brown has watched this team thrive from the start. He is there at every practice and every game.
"They're a year older. A year more mature. A year stronger," Chad said. "So, I didn't really feel it but when we got to Regionals this year, there were some good pitchers with a lot of good competition."
But, it was nothing this team couldn't handle.
Midway now heads to North Carolina with their eyes set on a two-peat and some very proud parents cheering them on.
"Exciting, choked up. There's a little lump in your throat," Chad Brown said. "Tears your eyes up a little bit, but I'm real excited. Real proud of the girls."
Kyndal Brown says she has always wanted to play softball on TV in the College World Series, and it's probably a safe bet to say two trips to the Little League World Series is a pretty great start!
The team's first battle on the diamond is Sunday, August 6, against the Southeast Regional qualifier.
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