Today is a big day for Montana, and especially for Billings. The Big Sky Little League All-Stars are two wins away from Williamsport.
Big Sky is competing in the 2026 Little League Baseball Mountain Region Tournament in San Bernardino, California, and today, August 13, they face Utah at 2 p.m. Pacific Time. The two teams already met once this tournament, with Utah winning 11-3, but Big Sky fought back through the elimination bracket with a win over Colorado to earn another shot. A win today sends Montana into Friday’s Mountain Region championship game against Nevada. Win that one too, and Big Sky punches its ticket to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Montana’s Only Little League World Series Trip Started in Billings
Montana has been to the Little League World Series exactly once, and it was a team from right here in Billings. In 2011, the Big Sky Little League All-Stars became the first and only team from Montana to reach South Williamsport. That team went 3-1 in the tournament and advanced all the way to the U.S. Championship game before falling to the eventual champions from Huntington Beach, California. Big Sky was then scheduled to play Mexico for third place, but that game got canceled due to Hurricane Irene, leaving Montana to share third place in the official record books.
That run is still talked about, and it’s part of why this year’s tournament has people paying attention across the whole state. A second trip to Williamsport would be historic for Montana, not just for Billings.
Baseball Runs Deep in This Family’s History
I come from a baseball-loving family. My uncles and my brothers all played Little League growing up, and baseball was just what our summers were built around. Then I married a man who played Little League himself and has never stopped loving the game. My husband and I got the chance to make the trip to Williamsport once to watch the Little League World Series in person, and it’s one of my favorite memories. There’s nothing quite like the atmosphere there, thousands of people packed in to watch kids play the game they love on the biggest stage in youth baseball…