Snohomish All-Stars gear up for Little League World Series

Published 8:57 am Thursday, July 30, 2026

SNOHOMISH — Jocelynn Day was not satisfied.

The 13-year-old infielder had watched her Snohomish All-Stars 12U softball teammates file out of the Snohomish Blast Barn one by one, each completing the final rep of a 90-minute hitting session on Tuesday: Hit one line drive off the pitching machine, and your day was done.

Some of the girls connected on their first try, while others needed a few extra swings. It did not take long for Day to put a solid swing on the ball, but she wanted a better one. With no one waiting behind her, assistant coach Drew Locke obliged. Day saw a few more pitches, fouling some off and making strong contact on a couple more. She remained in the batter’s box.

“One more?” Locke asked her. “Alright, let’s end on a good one.”

‘One more’ turned to two, then three. Once Day squared one up right where she wanted to, Locke could finally turn off the machine as the rest of the team returned to collect the balls. They were ready.

In less than 12 hours, the Snohomish All-Stars would be gathered at SeaTac Airport getting ready to fly out to Greenville, North Carolina for the 2026 Little League World Series.

“It was such a shocking moment to be one of the 12 teams out of the whole world that gets to go,” 12-year-old outfielder Layla Bailey said. “I don’t think it all hit us right away until probably — maybe now. And it was such a cool feeling and experience knowing that you’re going to do something that nobody gets to do.”

After dropping their first game in the state tournament, Snohomish ripped through the loser’s bracket to defeat Woodinville 6-4 in the championship, avenging its loss in the first game of the tournament as well as the loss in the 10U state title game two years earlier. The squad earned the title of ‘Team Washington’ for the Little League Northwest Region Tournament in San Bernardino, California, where they ultimately defeated Team Idaho 11-3 on July 23 to clinch a Little League World Series berth.

“I didn’t believe it at first,” Day said, thinking back to the final out. “We were all going to throw our gloves up at the end like we usually do, and we were all surprised, I think. A lot of us froze, and it was just like a good moment.”

While the accomplishment was difficult to believe in the moment, Locke said that watching the Mill Creek All-Stars make the same run through state, regionals and into the Little League World Series last summer gave Snohomish belief that they could do it too.

“If they didn’t see that, I don’t know if they would have gotten it (the Little League World Series berth),” Locke said. “They knew it was attainable. They knew they could get there if they worked hard, got the job done. … Because Mill Creek did it last year, I think all these girls kind of had the feeling like, ‘Hey, we can do this too.’”

No matter what stage of realization each player is at, they’re all preparing with the same intensity that Day displayed at the end of Tuesday’s session. From start to finish, the entire team was focused, methodical as they shuffled through each drill with little need for instruction. But they were also loose, making quiet conversation and jokes off to the side when waiting for their turns at the plate. Some even played hand-clap rhyme games, but none of it took away from the process.

It was a team that went about its business with a confidence supported by what it had already accomplished, yet still aware of the focus needed to achieve even more. Locke even ramped up the velocity on the pitching machine to prepare for the quality of pitching the team expects to face next week.

After all, opportunities like this come once in a lifetime. Snohomish does not plan to waste it.

“It’s been a lot of fun coaching these girls, like just to see the progression. Not only this year, but from when they’re eight or nine years old to 12,” Locke said. “Like, this is our last run together, so it’s kind of emotional. You see these girls from when they were this big (gesturing below his waist) to where they’re at now. I mean, that’s what Little League is all about.”

Among the team’s leaders on the field is Locke’s daughter, Madison, who started in the circle in all three games at regionals. Madison Locke compiled 34 strikeouts and just eight walks, allowing nine hits and one earned run across 18 total innings pitched. She also went 5-for-7 at the plate with three RBI and two runs scored across the three games.

Other top performers heading into the World Series include infielder Jaliyah Wright, who went 4-for-8 with five runs scored and two RBI from the leadoff spot, and infielder Avery Calamusa, who led the way in the Regional championship victory over Team Idaho with a 3-for-3, three RBI performance.

The All-Stars have risen to the occasion every step of the way so far. The lights don’t get any brighter than the Little League World Series, but the players feel ready to meet the moment.

“Mentally, be ready. The stakes are going to be higher,” Calamusa, 12, said. “You don’t have to perform better, but you still have to meet the expectations.”

The players’ expectations for each other are high, but the belief stems from a strong bond that has carried the team through the ups and downs of the season.

“I have the confidence in all of the players,” 13-year-old outfielder Hannah Choiniere said. “Like if a pitch gets hit to them, I trust them. I know that they’re going to do something great. … It’s not like when a certain person comes up to bat that I’m going to be like, ‘Oh, she’s going to strike out.’ I have faith in them.”

Added 11-year-old outfielder Janessa Malone: “I feel like we all have been friends and we get this bond. We’re all cheering in the dugout, and we just have fun.”

After the players developed trust in each other, the coaching staff learned to trust the team as well. Multiple players reflected on a practice in California just a couple of days before Regionals that might have been the worst of the season. It got to a point where coaches decided to end practice early and go to the hotel since nothing they were doing felt productive.

“Our defense wasn’t great. We weren’t talking,” 13-year-old outfielder Kaia Hoolulu said. “It was so hot that day that we were all dehydrated and we didn’t work our hardest. And then coaches started to not believe in it (heading into the game), and then we started picking up the pace.”

While the coaches made their way to the dugout, the players regrouped and decided to give things another go. The practice quality improved slightly, but Drew Locke was more impressed with the team’s will to shake off the bad start. It ultimately culminated in a dominant run through Regionals, where Snohomish never trailed in any of the three games en route to the title.

Things ended up working out at Regionals, but the All-Stars don’t want to repeat that situation in North Carolina. After landing on Wednesday, the team will get practices in on Thursday, Friday and Saturday before their opening round game on Sunday, which is against Team Southeast from Lake Mary, Florida. With plenty of time to acclimate to the new climate and time zone, Snohomish expects to be fully prepared for when the games start.

Beyond the games and practices, the players are excited to take in the full experience of the Little League World Series, where they’ll get fresh uniforms and gear, and they’ll also have the opportunity to meet the players from all the other teams. They’ll also get to experience playing in front of a national television audience, which was also the case during Regionals, but will be even more amplified in Greenville.

“In Regionals, at first I was worried about how I think we might have gotten distracted by cameras, but we kind of got by it,” 12-year-old catcher Harlow Knisley said. “So I think it’s not going to be much different.”

To compensate for any changes that come with the World Series setting, Snohomish plans to abide by its strict pregame ritual, which involves a specific order of putting on eye black and eating Red Vines in the dugout between the on-field pregame drills.

“We have to do the same order for putting on eye black,” 12-year-old outfielder Lucy Carpenter said. “… We’re very superstitious. We can’t change anything.”

As the All-Stars prepare for the Little League World Series in every facet, the city of Snohomish will be prepared to support them too. From the moment the team clinched a spot in the World Series, players’ phones started blowing up with texts from friends and family congratulating them. Neighbors have approached them personally to wish them luck. As of Thursday morning, the community has donated over $17,000 on GoFundMe to support the family members looking to travel to the games, since only the team’s travel is covered.

“I feel like Snohomish is just, like, proud of us,” 12-year-old outfielder Ella Bowers said. “(All of) Washington, actually, is just proud of us, and we’re representing Washington and now we’re representing the Northwest, and it’s just super cool to think of that. Twelve kids that get to represent the Northwest, it’s just super cool.”