LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Floyds Knobs Community Club Little League 12U softball team will get an early start for its Little League World Series experience Monday morning.
The team, representing the U.S. Central Region, will face the winner of North Carolina vs. Latin America at 10 a.m. ET Monday in Greenville, North Carolina, to open play in the Little League Softball World Series — its first trip to the event since 2017.
Early-round games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Floyds Knobs could be facing the host team right away but it arrives with momentum — and a dominant postseason resume.
Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford
The team went 5-1 in the Central Region tournament with a balanced offensive attack and lights-out pitching. It opened its run with a combined no-hitter from Briley Mercer and Grace Fiore, followed by Mercer striking out 15 in a win over Michigan. Floyds Knobs didn’t allow a run until the championship game against Kentucky — a game Mercer again helped control from the circle.
"At this age group she’s one of the best pitchers in the country," head coach J.R. Drummond said.
Drummond, a former Indiana University football player, has coached softball for more than two decades. This summer has brought something special — not just because he’s coaching a talented group, but because his daughter is part of the team.
He's watched his team come together through big wins and hard work, and after its regional win, was happy to see his players enjoy the reward.
"What ran through my mind was just man, all the practices, all the front toss, all the families you get to invest in over the years and it's overwhelming when you think about it like that," Drummond said after his team’s regional title. "When we came back fire trucks were waiting, police were waiting to escort the girls in and that's the feel of Little League — you invest in your community, you invest in people and you have something to be proud of."
The Little League Softball World Series features 12 teams — six from across the U.S. and six international squads — competing in a bracket-style tournament that runs through Aug. 11 in Greenville’s Stallings Stadium at Elm Street Park. It’s a national stage for the clubs, with later round games moving to ESPN and the championship on ABC.
For Floyds Knobs, the return to Greenville in 2017 helped spark a new generation of young players. This group is now writing its own chapter — and hopes to inspire the next.
"I feel like for all the little girls that play here, it's really happy," Floyds Knobs player Scarlett Renn said. "And we can show them that since we're a small town we can do anything -- just believe in themselves."
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
