The Welcome Home Celebration For The Phenix City Little Baseball Team Is Today

While the island of Curacao won the 2026 Little League World Series this year for its second baseball championship title, the Phenix City Little League 12 U All Stars baseball team reached the elimination rounds in the Little League World Series this year. Even winning three consecutive elimination games against Bonita, California; West Chester, Pennsylvania; and Tacoma, Washington; before ending their series run with a loss to Hamilton, Ohio on Wednesday, August 26th, 2026. The last time a team from the State of Alabama reached the Little League World Series was in 1999, when Phenix City played in it, as well. Therefore, Phenix City is welcoming back home their baseball players with a celebration today, Monday, August 31st, 2026, at the Idle Hour Baseball Fields in Phenix City beginning at 6PM Central Time.

The Phenix City 12 U all Star team is expected to arrive at their welcome home celebration at 7:00PM and will hold an autograph session around 8:00PM after local and state representatives address the crowd. The community is welcome to attend the celebration to hail the return of the ball players. With attendees being encouraged to wear their Phenix City and Southeast colors to welcome back the baseball team.

Alabama has had nine appearances in the Little League World Series, overall. With this year's Phenix City team featuring Kinley Rasmus as one of their star players. With Kinley Rasmus breaking several records while playing in the Little League World Series. As she broke the record for the most total hits by a girl in the tournament and tied the record for the most strikeouts by a girl in the baseball tournament. She also became the first girl with an extra-base hit. For Kinley Rasmus amassed five hits in the Little League World Series and three RBIs. She pitched twice for Phenix City in the tournament and amassed 14 strikeouts while doing so. She is the ninth girl to pitch in the Little League Baseball World Series and the 25th girl to play in the series.

Kinley Rasmus became known for wearing her hair tied back into a ponytail with a bow in the series. With her success on the baseball diamond leading to nationwide rallying cries such as "Fear the bow". For she did not give up a run in either the Southeast Region tournament championship game or the two games that she pitched in the Little League World Series. Making her little white bow so famous that she donated the bow she wore in the Grand Slam Parade and in Phenix City's first game to the World of Little League Baseball Museum.

Casen Smith on the Phenix City baseball team also provided RBI base hits for the 12U All Stars during the Little League World Series. With Cameron Lee providing run-scoring hits that were important in the baseball games and Ryker Rasmus also delivering important hits during the team's performance in the baseball series. The rest of the roster for Phenix City consisted of Urijah Berklite, Easton Allen, Brooks Cameron, Cooper Champion, Lorenzo Quintero, and Casen Smith. According to the coach for Phenix City, Case Rasmus, the core group of the 12 U baseball All Stars having been playing baseball together since they were seven years of age.