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LA MIRADA’S ROAD TO THE WORLD SERIES: The La Mirada Junior All-Stars are headed to Taylor, Michigan, for the 2026 Junior League Baseball World Series after capturing the West Region championship. La Mirada enters the tournament with a perfect 16-0 postseason record and needs four more victories to bring home its first world championship since 2003. Photo courtesy La Mirada Little League/Instagram.
By Brian Hews
Publisher | Follow X
August 8, 2026
LA MIRADA’S ROAD TO THE WORLD SERIES: The La Mirada Junior All-Stars are headed to Taylor, Michigan, for the 2026 Junior League Baseball World Series after winning the West Region championship. La Mirada enters the tournament with a perfect 16-0 postseason record and needs four more victories to bring home its first world championship since 2003. Photo courtesy La Mirada Little League/Instagram.
Twenty-three years after La Mirada won the Junior League Baseball World Series, a new generation heads to Taylor, Michigan, needing four more victories to bring the championship home
LA MIRADA — Twenty-three years after a La Mirada baseball team traveled to Taylor, Michigan, and returned home as world champions, another generation of La Mirada players is headed to the same tournament with dreams of doing it again.
The La Mirada Junior All-Stars boarded a plane this week bound for the 2026 Junior League Baseball World Series at Heritage Park in Taylor, where 12 teams from the United States and around the world will compete Aug. 9-16 for the championship.
La Mirada arrives as the West Region champion with a remarkable 16-0 postseason record. Four more wins would make them 20-0 — and world champions.
The trip marks La Mirada’s first appearance in the Junior League World Series in 23 years. The last time the community sent a team to Taylor, in 2003, La Mirada defeated Santiago, Panama, 8-7 in the championship game to win the world title.
The connection has not been lost on this year’s players. “Twenty-three years ago, La Mirada made it. They won it,” one member of the team told NBC4. “So 23 years later, we made it. We’re going to win it. I’m calling it.”
For a group of players who have spent years growing up together on La Mirada baseball fields, reaching the World Series is also bittersweet. This could be one of the final tournaments in which many of them play together. “I’m really excited to spend time with my team, and it’s probably going to be the last tournament I play with any of these kids,” one player told NBC4.
Four Wins From A World Championship
La Mirada received a first-round bye in the United States bracket and will begin World Series play Monday, Aug. 10, at 1 p.m. Eastern, 10 a.m. Pacific, against the winner of Sunday’s game between Central Region champion Whitefish Bay Little League of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, and Southeast Region champion Murfreesboro Little League of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
A victory Monday would send La Mirada to Game 16 on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
From there, the road leads to the U.S. Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 15. The winner of the U.S. bracket will face the international champion for the Junior League Baseball World Series title on Sunday, Aug. 16. For La Mirada, the math couldn’t be simpler: four victories stand between the team and a perfect 20-0 postseason.
“We’ve dedicated this run to him, and we’re 16-0, and four more to go,” a team member said. “We’re going to be 20-0 and bring that championship home. We’re ready.”
The “him” is Kenny Ong. Behind La Mirada’s undefeated run is a story much larger than baseball. The team is playing in memory of Kenny Ong, the father of player Ryder Ong, who died unexpectedly earlier this year.
Kenny wasn’t simply a parent watching games from the stands. He coached the boys, photographed their games, helped make their jerseys and hats, and became an important part of a baseball family that had grown up together.
Most of all, his family and the team remember that Kenny always showed up. “Not having him with us here has been emotional, but I think he’s carrying us all the way through,” another team member said.
The team has dedicated its World Series run to him. Ryder is carrying something more tangible with him to Michigan: he is wearing his father’s jerseys and hats, bringing a piece of Kenny along for the journey.
“He’s been there for all the years we lost and cheered us on, and if he were here right now, he’d definitely love it,” said Ryder.
For Ryder’s mother and Kenny’s wife, the team’s extraordinary run has included moments when Kenny hasn’t seemed very far away. “There’s been so many, like, blessings and signs that he’s taken us here and just really carried us, just kept us strong together as a family, as a team.”
For these boys, family and team have become almost interchangeable.
A 12-Team World Series
La Mirada is one of six U.S. teams competing in Taylor. Joining the West champions are Central representative Whitefish Bay Little League of Wisconsin; East representative Freehold Township Little League of New Jersey; Michigan District 5 representative Taylor North Little League; Southeast representative Murfreesboro Little League of Tennessee; and Southwest representative Roadrunner Little League of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Six international champions complete the field: Shing-Ming Junior Little League of Taoyuan, Chinese Taipei, representing Asia-Pacific; Perth Metro East Little League of Perth, Western Australia; Kingston Little League of Kingston, Ontario, Canada; Emilia Romagna Little League of Bologna, Italy, representing Europe and Africa; Aruba Center Little League of Santa Cruz, Aruba, representing Latin America; and Liga Matamoros A.C. of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, representing Mexico.
One U.S. team and one international team will survive their respective brackets and meet for the world championship.
La Mirada’s World Series roster includes Lucas Gaeta, Ryann Rios, Ryan Barberena, Noel Jaime, Jayden Lopez, Nathan Dowlin, Ryder Ong, Blake Leal, Jerimiah Ortega, Adam Brewer, Jayden Valdez and Noah Jauregui. The team is managed by Ray Jauregui, with Ricky Rios and Ernie Jaime serving as coaches.
La Mirada knows exactly what that feels like. In 2003, a group of La Mirada kids traveled to Taylor and came home with a World Series championship. Now, 23 years later, another group of La Mirada kids has made the journey. They are undefeated. They are four wins away.
And this time, they’re playing for Kenny.