Little League finds itself at the center of yet another eligibility scandal. This latest controversy centers around Lake Mary Little League in the state of Florida.
Something must be said and/or done or the brand will unravel!
Although Little League International did acknowledge the initial protest, it allowed the Florida state championship game to proceed under protest conditions and ultimately put the runner-up (and the other programs who faced Lake Mary) at a potential disadvantage. The evidence and concerns raised by this frustrating sequence of events prove, once again, that the authorities in place to prevent this kind of potential scandal refuse to address the root issue before it is far too late.
UPDATE: Lake Mary denies these accusations. It also questions why its state championship opponent did not continue with its normal pregame routine as scheduled.
Lake Mary is a powerhouse.
Lake Mary became the first-ever Little League World Series champion from the state of Florida in 2024 with an eight-inning victory over Chinese Taipei. It later returned to the state championship game for the third consecutive year in 2025.
Lake Mary was scheduled to play against Bayshore for a trip to the Southeast Regional on July 20. The game was set to begin at 10:00 a.m. on that Sunday, but by 8:30, Bayshore had already submitted a detailed protest to the Tournament Committee that would typically put first pitch on hold. It did not.
Instead of addressing the protest prior to the game, officials moved forward and allegedly delayed further communication until the following weekend.
They ultimately instructed Bayshore at 9:30 a.m. that the 10:00 a.m. start time would continue as scheduled, which led the players to warm up for a high-stakes elimination game on short notice. They did not get to hold a formal batting practice as planned so they were cold.
Lake Mary ultimately defeated Bayshore 10-0 to advance to the Southeast Regional.
What is “traditional” schooling?
Multiple players on Lake Mary list ‘Trinity Simone Christian Preparatory Academy’ as their primary place of learning. That school has since drawn scrutiny for several reasons:
- The school offers a hybrid model of learning where students are not necessarily in a classroom five days a week.
- It is not listed by the Florida Department of Education as a “hybrid” private school eligible to receive Step-Up funding from the State of Florida.
- The school lists zero sixth grade students enrolled in 2024-25.
Meanwhile, Little League International sets very specific Residency Requirements for eligibility. One of those requirements focuses on “traditional” school attendance.
By all accounts, the aforementioned players’ attendance at Trinity Simone Christian Preparatory Academy would not be considered “traditional” based on public information.
To make the situation even more confusing, one player on Lake Mary said during a public interview that he is homeschooled. That would directly contradict the affidavit that claims enrollment at Trinity Simone.
Little League International might not want to rule players ineligible based these potential schooling issues. I understand how an investigation could open a can of worms that would ultimately impact the lives of the kids and their families on a much bigger level than just baseball and might get litigious. I also understand how an investigation of this level could tear down the entire organization if it finds wrongdoing.
That’s fine! The initial protest was rejected. Moving on.
These questions surrounding Trinity Simone are not the only reason for Bayshore’s protest…
Bayshore filed a protest based on eligibility concerns.
A second protest was filed by Bayshore regarding the alleged lack of “D2 Waiver” for one of Lake Mary’s key players. He played for Lake Mary in both 2024 and 2025 even though he lived outside of the team’s official defined boundary for eligibility.
That in itself is not illegal. An out-of-boundary player requires two things to be deemed eligible:
- Approval by the Little League International Charter Committee.
- A signed D2 Waiver that clears the out-of-boundary player for competition.
According to the protest, and documents that I have reviewed, it is hard to believe that either step occurred. And all of the evidence suggests that the player in question could’ve been ruled ineligible prior to the Florida state championship game against Bayshore.
If there was a D2 Waiver on file, this protest would’ve been denied right away!
Without this D2 Waiver on file, the out-of-boundary player was not eligible to play for Lake Mary in 2024 or 2025. By extension, none of the players from that 2024 championship team would be eligible for All-Star competition in 2024 and 2025.
And, to go one step further, a parent whose son plays for Lake Mary allegedly updated his/her voter registration to reflect a private baseball academy as his/her residence. Weird.
A separate player’s address appears to be linked to a commercial spinal rehabilitation center that property records confirm is not zoned for residential use. Even weirder.
These two things would be very easy to prove.
Does the D2 Waiver exist or not? Are the addresses on file for Lake Mary true to residence?
Those are yes or no questions. So what is it? Yes or no.
Little League must hold its teams accountable.
If these eligibility concerns prove to be legit, Lake Mary’s 2024 Little League World Series championship could be retroactively vacated. Same with its state championship in 2025.
Especially if the D2 Waiver was not filed!
However, that is not the point of this article. It’s not about sour grapes or trying to tear down the 10- to 12-year-old kids who did only what their parents told them.
Rather, I am calling for accountability from the full-time officials at Little League International. I am doing so in solidarity with Bayshore and other Southeast Region programs.
More than 6,500 kids participated in the Florida Little League All-Star Tournament this year. They all had the same dream of playing on ESPN at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in Williamsport.
Like Bayshore, their dreams were also dashed by a dominant Lake Mary team. If the allegations against Lake Shore are true, the kids deserve better.
If Little League International does not enforce its own bylaws, other teams will follow this same blueprint. This ongoing scandal — in addition to what is going on with Tulsa National on the softball side — seems to show that eligibility rules can be bypassed through technicalities without any repercussions.
What is to stop other Little League programs from loading their own rosters?