Davenport Northwest Little League preps for Midwest regional

For many young baseball players locally and around the world, playing in the Little League World Series is a life-long dream.

A special group of little league baseball players in Davenport is on the verge of making that dream a reality.

Davenport Northwest Little League is on a mission this summer.

“I feel like if we play the way we played districts and state. Just play with confidence and let our game show,” said Anthony Johnson Jr., a Davenport Northwest Little League baseball player.

“Through some unknown positions, guys have taken their roles well for their positions. No matter what position we put them in, infield or outfield, the guys have adjusted well and really seen them grow as a group these last 2-3 weeks,” said Mark Erwin, Davenport Northwest Little League’s manger.

Davenport Northwest is playing some of its best ball right now, won the Iowa state championship, and outscored opponents by more than 50 runs in six games.

“Mostly I would say it was the timely hitting and dominant pitching were kind of the difference,” Erwin said.

That dominant pitching included a no-hitter by Cooper Thissen in the state title game.

“I mean it was great. Seeing Cooper get that last strikeout and how hype we all got,” Johnson Jr. said. “Just a great experience, great feeling.”

“(The key is) just remembering how good we are and just keeping all the confidence in the world about our game and how we play,” Thissen said.

Davenport Northwest now has its eyes set on rewriting history. If the team wins the Midwest regional, it will reach the Little League World Series for the first time since 2005.

“It would be a great experience. It would be one of the top on my list of my baseball experiences,” Johnson Jr. said. “Just going to play and compete, see all of the competition across the world.”

“I’ve been waiting for this for a while and here it goes. Really close,” Thissen said.

“We’ve put ourselves in another position to do that, and I think we’ve got a good opportunity by just doing what we can do, staying the course, and I think we can have success that way,” Erwin said.

Davenport Northwest opens regional play against North Dakota on Friday at noon. The game will be played in Whitestown, Indiana.

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