Texas Little League Team Officially in World Series After Judge Vacates Ruling

WACO, TX — A Texas judge Tuesday vacated a temporary restraining order that had allowed Tulsa National to play for the Southwest Region championship and a berth in the Little League Baseball World Series, upholding Little League Baseball's decision to remove the Oklahoma team from the tournament.

Judge Ryan Luna of the 414th District Court in McLennan County vacated the order Tuesday afternoon, shortly before Tulsa was scheduled to face West Texas in the championship game. Little League Baseball had asked the court to overturn the order, which had been granted Monday after parents of Tulsa players sued.

The decision secured West Texas, represented by Boerne Little League, the region's berth in next week's international tournament in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. West Texas had defeated Louisiana 4-1 on Monday.

Little League Baseball determined Monday that a Tulsa player was ineligible and declared the team's previous game a forfeit. The organization said the player's eligibility was based on an incorrect birth year entered during the registration of his sibling.

According to court documents obtained by ESPN, the player, identified as O.G., lived outside Tulsa National's normal geographic boundary. His eligibility had been granted because his sibling, identified as K.G., participated in Tulsa National's Challenger Division, an adaptive program for children with physical and intellectual challenges.

Little League International's Charter Committee granted O.G. eligibility in a July 7 letter based on the sibling relationship. But according to a court filing by Mindy Abbott, Little League's district administrator in Oklahoma, O.G.'s father mistakenly entered the sibling's birth year during registration. Abbott said she learned of the error after the state tournament.

The documents said the sibling was registered as a 7-year-old but was actually 10. Little League said the age discrepancy disqualified the sibling from an under-8 enrollment provision, which in turn made O.G. ineligible.

The filing also said the sibling did not participate in the games necessary to maintain the basis for O.G.'s eligibility. O.G. was withdrawn from Tulsa National's tournament team before playing in the Southwest Region tournament.

Three protests were filed during the tournament process. The first, submitted before the regional tournament, was unrelated to O.G. and was denied. Two later protests concerned O.G. and led to a formal investigation, according to Little League's emergency motion.

In a statement, Little League Baseball said the ruling upheld its commitment to a fair and equitable experience for players under its rules and policies.

"We empathize with the children of Tulsa National Little League and the likely disappointment this decision has caused," the organization said.

Natalie Woody, a parent of a Tulsa player, told ESPN by phone Tuesday that the children were devastated by the decision.

In a statement released after the ruling, the Tulsa players' parents said the 13 players had relied on adults to interpret the rules, verify eligibility and protect the integrity of the tournament.

"We did not fight because our boys believed they were entitled to a championship," the parents said. "We fought because they earned the opportunity to compete for one."

The parents said they were proud of the team and how the players represented their families, communities and Oklahoma.