Rancho Santa Margarita team will play in a Little League World Series full of power hitters

Joey Randazzo’s teammates marveled as the shortstop for Grosse Pointe, Mich., lifted pitch after pitch over the left-field fence during Little League World Series batting practice Wednesday.

They were in awe again a batter later as Joseph Wisniewski used his left-handed uppercut swing to shoot line-drive home runs to right-center field.

Fans will likely see much more of that power over the next 11 days as 16 teams battle for the Little League title. The 71st edition of the tournament begins Thursday with four games: Mexico vs. Latin America at 10 a.m. PDT; Fairfield, Conn., vs. Jackson, N.J., at noon; Canada vs. Europe-Africa at 2 p.m.; and Grosse Pointe vs. Lufkin, Texas, at 4 p.m.

The United States West champion, from Rancho Santa Margarita, opens Friday at 1 p.m. against Walla Walla, Wash.

“It’s the evolution of the game as kids are getting bigger and stronger,” Grosse Pointe coach Jason Hill said. “The game has really progressed. Coaches are getting more informed with teaching mechanics and selection and hitting philosophy.”

Grosse Pointe’s 6.6 runs per game during regional play was among the lowest offensive output among the teams competing this week. Jackson, the Mid-Atlantic representative, averaged 10.8 runs during four regional games, the best mark of any U.S. team.

The international teams averaged more runs during regionals than the United States teams did, though the competition levels of the different regions vary. The Asia-Pacific Region’s representative from Seoul outscored its regional opponents 45-2 in the four-game span. Canada scored more than 20 runs in consecutive regional games, averaging nearly 14.3 runs during seven contests. Japan won its final regional matchup 17-0 and averaged more than 13 runs per game.

“We’ve got some power in our lineup,” said coach Chris Shaw of Hills Little League from Sydney, Australia, which will face Japan on Friday. “If you look back at our [regional] tournament, we didn’t rely on the home run. We just relied on batting for average, looking to hit the ball in the gaps.”

“We look to hit the ball hard. If the ball goes out, it’s an extra bonus,” Shaw said. Australia averaged 12.3 runs per game across seven regional games, third best among international teams behind Canada and Japan.

Hills is one of two teams returning to the series for a second consecutive year, along with Emilia Little League from Italy. That could be an advantage because they’ve already experienced the hype.

“They’re so excited to be here,” Shaw said. “They’re one team that just likes to relax, and they want to have fun. I think they should be having enough fun so the nerves won’t really take over.”