One of the premier awards shows of the summer, the ESPYs honor the top athletes and moments in sports over the past year. Every year, numerous Little League® graduates are celebrated for their achievements, and this year is no different. Below are the winners from this year’s award show who began their athletic careers on a Little League field:
Patrick Mahomes
Best Athlete, Men’s Sports; Best NFL Player
Rose Capital East LL (Tyler, Texas) – 2010 JLBWS
After leading the Kansas City Chiefs to back-to-back Super Bowls and winning another championship game MVP, the former Little Leaguer continues to be the top athlete of the NFL.
A 2010 Junior League Baseball World Series graduate from Rose Capital East Little League, Mahomes’ success as a leader has been an inspiration to current Little League athletes.
Shohei Ohtani
Best MLB Player
The reigning American League MVP took home the award for the third time in four seasons to cap off his 2023 campaign, and Ohtani has picked up right where he left off to start the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This marks the fifth-straight ESPY for the Mizusawa Little League graduate, as well as the fourth time Ohtani has received the award of Best MLB Player.
When the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians played in Williamsport in the fourth-ever MLB Little League Classic, Ohtani spent his time leading up to the game with some of the teams that competed in the Little League Baseball® World Series.
Conor Campbell
Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award
Englewood Cliffs (N.J.) LL
A graduate of Englewood Cliffs Little League, Conor Campbell was one of three young leaders who were named a recipient of the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award, recognizing their achievements in sport and community. Mr. Campbell has dedicated more than 300 hours to creating affordable access to kids who want to play sports. Most notably, he developed a basketball and enrichment program for elementary and middle school students.
Although the National Gatorade Players of the Year who were honored at the ESPY’s did not have a direct Little League connection, a number of state winners in baseball and softball got their start in the Little League community:
- Coen Niclai (Alaska) – Abbott O Rabbit LL (Anchorage, Alaska)
- Sela Rodriguez (Alaska) – Nunaka Valley LL (Anchorage, Alaska)
- Seth Hernandez (California) – Ontario Eastern (Calif.) LL
- Connor Lane (Connecticut) – Old Saybrook (Conn.) LL
- Julia Bacoulis (Connecticut) – Monroe (Conn.) LL
- Nathan Arterbridge (Delaware) – M O T LL (Middletown, Del.)
- Madge Layfield (Delaware) – Georgetown (Del.) LL
- Sean Yamaguchi (Hawaii) – Honolulu (Hawaii) LL – 2018 LLBWS
- Carly Goodwin (Iowa) – JE-WA-KE LL (Hedrick, Iowa)
- Matt Conte (Massachusetts) – Andover (Mass.) National LL
- Aubrey Jones (Michigan) – Gaylord (Mich.) LL
- Cayde Stajcar (Montana) – Mile High LL (Butte, Mont.)
- Tyson Lewis (Nebraska) – Millard United Sports LL (Omaha, Neb.)
- Drew Kaplan (Nevada) – Summerlin South LL (Las Vegas, Nev.)
- William Kirk (New Jersey) – Ramsey (N.J.) LL
- Madison McDougall (New Jersey) – Lincroft (N.J.) LL
- Braiden Reynolds (New Mexico) – Petroglyph LL (Albuquerque, N.M.)
- Mila Fiordalisi (New York) – North Shore LL (Rocky Point, N.Y.)
- Drew Rerick (North Dakota) – Fargo (N.D.) LL
- Zion Theophilus (Ohio) – G R D LL (Granville, Ohio)
- Kruz Schoolcraft (Oregon) – Cedar Mill LL (Portland, Ore.)
- Griffin Crain (Rhode Island) – Fox Point/East Side LL (Providence, R.I.)
- Cade Arrambide (Texas) – Orwall LL (Spring, Texas)
- Zach Davis (Vermont) – Colchester (Vt.)
- Molly Medor (Vermont) – Northwest LL (Swanton, Vt.)
- Xavier Neyens (Washington) – South Skagit LL (Mount Vernon, Wash.)
- Yanina Sherwood (Washington) – Mill Creek (Wash.) LL
- Josie Bird (West Virginia) – Salt Rock (W.V.) Youth Sports LL
- Payten Jibben (Wisconsin) – Oak Creek (Wisc.) LL
- Avery Gray (Wyoming) – Gillette (Wyo.) LL
While the 2024 ESPY Awards have come to a close, the love for the sport will continue to come to life over the coming weeks as more than 340 Little League Baseball and Softball games will be broadcast across ESPN Platforms starting on Saturday, July 20, with the Little League Softball Region Tournaments as the Summer of Softball continues to thrive during the Girls with Game 50 Celebration.
NOTE: If you know of a notable Little League graduate that would fit into any of these categories listed above, please complete the Little League Alumni Submission form. Feel free to also share your Little League alumni story on social media by tagging @LittleLeague and by using #LLAlumni in your posts.