Group of southern Utah little-leaguers wins Utah state championship, moves on to regionals

The Washington City Junior All-Stars won the Utah State Tournament last week, going 4-0 and punching their ticket into the West Regional in Bend, Oregon, next month.

The group of 14-year-olds—and one 13-year-old— were impressive as they went undefeated in the state tournament held in Cedar City.

In their first game, the team beat Cedar American 9-2 behind strong pitching performances from Genevieve Evans, Rayce Bennett, and Helaman Manutai.

Washington continued to roll, beating Enterprise 14-5 and Cedar National 11-3 to advance to the championship game and a rematch with Cedar National.

Once again, the kids from Washington proved to be too much, winning 15-2 to advance to the West Regional.

In a potential double-elimination setting, the Junior All-Stars wasted no time getting the jump on Cedar National, scoring nine runs in the first inning.

“They didn’t want to play a second game, apparently,” said head coach Wayne Evans. “They put nine runs up in that first inning and didn’t look back and they just kept going.”

In punching their ticket to the West Regional, the 14-year-old group was finally able to play beyond a state tournament.

In 2020, COVID-19 wiped out the West Regional in San Bernardino, California, in which the group had hoped to play.

Last year, only Senior League World Series divisions were sanctioned beyond the state tournaments.

Only one player on the roster — 13-year-old Jace Dutson — was able to play in San Bernardino back in 2021.

The pandemic’s impact on the team’s ability to play outside of Utah has dubbed them "the COVID era" by Evans and Washington Little League President David Gray.

“They’ve missed the chance to have these opportunities. It was pretty cool to be able to see them do it this year," said Gray, whose son Josh plays on the Junior All-Stars.

“They missed out on that opportunity, so I think they are just that more excited to just go out there and play on a bigger stage than they normally do,” said Evans.

Gray said Josh and Genevieve were the driving forces in recruiting their friends to play on the team and be part of the ride.

Evans’ daughter Genevieve is the lone girl on the roster and is planning to try out for the Pine View High School team in the spring.

In the Utah State Tournament, Evans pitched in two games and played shortstop. Evans can also catch in a pinch.

“It’s awesome,” Evans said. “It’s a lot of fun to watch her and see how good of a player she is. She puts in a lot of work for it. Almost every day we’re going to the baseball diamonds and practicing on something or in our backyard working on stuff. She knows she has to be not just as good, but better.”

Evans was on the mound for the final out against Cedar National, getting a groundout to close it out.

In 2014, Mo’ne Davis sent shockwaves around not only the baseball world but the world in general, pitching a shutout in the Little League World Series and becoming the first girl to win a game in the LLWS.

“She actually watched some videos when Mo’ne Davis was in the Little League World Series not too long ago,” Evans said. “I think it’s just the dedication to the game, the hard work, the desire to win, and the drive to get there.”

This group is the first Junior All-Star team from Washington to make it past the state tournament. The area has had younger ages compete in regional tournaments.

“The competition is just at a really high level and it’s a premier area for baseball for sure,” said Gray.

The Washington All-Stars take on Northern California in the opening game of the West Regional.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the most part, and we really want this for them,” Evans. “They earned their way there. Regardless of what happens when we get up there, we’re excited for them and know they’re excited to play some baseball against people who they’ve never seen.”

As of Thursday afternoon, the schedule for the West Regional has not been released, but the tournament starts on Aug. 3 and runs through Aug. 11.

The team will need to pay its own way to play in the regional tournament, and backers have started a fundraising effort to help them get there. To help send the Washington Little League, coaches are asking potential donors to consider donating to their GoFundMe or to reach out to the team about donating. Those looking to donate directly can do so digitally by sending funds via Venmo at Wayne-Evans-29.

Sean Ellertson is a sports reporter for the St. George Spectrum & Daily News. To continue to support his work, please subscribe to The Spectrum. Follow Sean on Twitter @SeanEllertson.

This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Southern Utah little-leaguers win Utah state championship