For the second consecutive season, a team from the Taylor North Little League captured the USA Bracket Championship during the 42nd Junior League World Series, held at Heritage Park in early August.

The Junior League World Series is a week-long international tournament for the best teams of 13 and 14-year-old baseball players from around the world. Founded in 1981, the Junior League World Series is the “older brother” of the Little League World Series held annually in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the best teams of 12-year-olds.

Like the Little League World Series, the Junior League World Series has a storied history. It began as a tournament for the best teams of 13-year-old players. It blossomed to include 14-year-olds and now attracts teams from around the globe: Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region, Australia, Canada and, of course, the United States.

Managed by Rob Dotson and assistant coaches Bob Shufeldt and Ryan Doute, this year’s Taylor North team was made up of Jaxon Shufeldt, Kole Boike, Lucas Doute, Chase Omodio, Lucas Brewer, Cruz Rodriquez, Richard Loruiaux, Griffin Krakow, Alex Miller, Brodii Hollobough, Tristan Spencer and Mino Koski.

Qualifying as the “host team” out of District 5, Taylor North was the dominant team on the United States’ side of the 12-team bracket. Taylor North rolled to four straight wins by a total score of 39-12. That included two straight shutouts to open the tournament – something that turned the heads of plenty of people watching.

“With this group of kids, I wasn’t surprised by anything they did,” Dotson said. “I think the win over Hawaii in the first game opened some eyes.” Hawaii is a traditional power in Little League, but Taylor North beat them 8-0.

Assistant Coach Ryan Doute, who served as the team’s unofficial top scout and now has the team’s Taylor North JLWS banner hanging in his classroom at Myers Elementary School, knew that his team could make some noise. “I didn’t know whether anyone on the USA side of the bracket could run with us,” he said. “We have a lot to be proud of (after the JLWS tournament).”

Just like the 2023 tournament run (only two players, Jaxon Shufeldt and Kole Boike, played on both Taylor North teams), the hosts couldn’t finish the deal against powerful International Champion Chinese Taipei. The youngsters from Taiwan took the JLWS title game 4-0, racking up its 10th championship since 2010. It was the Asia-Pacific Region’s third straight JLWS win.

“We knew going in that we could win, but our margin of error was going to be thin,” Dotson admitted. “We needed to be 100 percent perfect. We may have felt some nerves in that game.” The loss was a setback, but …

“There is really zero disappointment for us coming out of the JLWS,” Assistant Coach Bob Shufeldt said. “We wanted to keep it simple. It worked and it was a tough game. They pitched very well … they often pitched perfectly to the way their defense was set up.”

Mino Koski took the mound for Taylor North in key tournament games and pitched very well. Most considered Koski the team’s MVP in the JLWS. But shortstop Lucas Doute was also impactful. He consistently provided key hits throughout the team’s run. In fact, over his past two summers in the highest-level world series tournaments, Doute hit a stunning .636.

But it was Jaxon Shufeldt who finished the season in the most unique spot of any Taylor North player … ever. This year’s USA Bracket Championship marked Jaxon’s third title performance in a Little League World Series. He was also a member of last year’s JLWS USA title winners and was a member of the 2021 Little League World Series Championship team – the only player who can lay claim on all three titles.

For more about Taylor North’s championship run, check out the City of Taylor YouTube Channel.