Tulsa National Little League team disqualified from Southwest Region baseball tournament

Little League International announced on Monday that Tulsa National Little League was removed from the Southwest Region baseball tournament after determining that one of its players did not meet eligibility requirements. The decision came about an hour before the scheduled semifinal in Waco, Texas, and nullified the team’s 3-2 victory over Louisiana that had advanced it to the regional final and a potential berth in the Little League World Series.

The organization said the ruling was final and binding, and the forfeited win turned the planned Texas West-Louisiana semifinal into the championship game. The winner of that game would have earned a spot in the World Series beginning Aug. 19 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The title game scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled.

Little League did not disclose the player’s identity or the specific violation, but its eligibility rule requires a child to reside within the league’s geographic boundaries or attend school there. The same issue had affected Tulsa National’s softball team three weeks earlier, when the tournament committee stripped that team of a win for insufficient documentation of player residency.

The recent ruling follows earlier concerns raised after Tulsa National’s softball team placed third at the 2025 Softball World Series, prompting protests from league officials and parents. At that time, Little League reviewed the protest and cleared the team, finding the submitted paperwork satisfactory.

The organization did not indicate whether additional penalties would be imposed. It concluded its statement by expressing support for the children affected and pledging ongoing administrative guidance for the families involved.