On July 15, 2014, the Taney Youth Baseball Association Little League team was competing in the Pennsylvania Section 8 Little League Baseball tournament, with the hopes of advancing to the state tournament. One year later, on July 15, 2015, their starting pitcher, Mo’ne Davis, accepted the award for Best Breakthrough Athlete at the ESPYs.
Ms. Davis and her Taney teammates were one of the biggest stories in the sports world in 2014. As Mid-Atlantic Region Champions at the Little League Baseball® World Series, the team finished with two wins and two losses, play in some of the most exciting games of the tournament, and showing great sportsmanship throughout the series. Ms. Davis became the first female pitcher at the Little League Baseball World Series to win a game when she threw a shutout in the team’s first appearance. On the mound, she finished with a 1-1 record and threw 14 strikeouts in eight innings on the mound.
An honor student and standout athlete with a love of basketball, Ms. Davis, along with her teammates and coaches, have received numerous accolades since the conclusion of the 2014 Little League Baseball World Series, including Team of the Year from the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association. Ms. Davis was named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, Sports Illustrated Sportskid of the Year, visited the White House, and more.
Now, nearly a year after the team’s Little League Baseball World Series run, Ms. Davis walked the red carpet at the ESPYs and accepted the award for Best Breakthrough Athlete – simply thanking her parents, her coach, and her teammates.
Ms. Davis wasn’t the only Little Leaguer® honored at the ESPYs. Westwood Little League grad, and New York Yankee legend, Derek Jeter was presented with the Icon award. Congratulations to both Mo’ne and Derek.