- July 1, 2026
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No Manatee County team has reached the Little League Softball World Series. Until this year, none had the opportunity to go that far.
From 1998-2025, the Miss Manatee Softball League was part of Miss Florida Softball, and could not compete in tournament play beyond the state level.
What was Miss Manatee, though, is now Manatee Softball Little League. For 2026, it joined Little League — the international organization which runs the annually-televised World Series for both baseball and softball.
Manatee Softball’s 12U All-Stars became the first team in league history to vie for a berth on the biggest stage in youth softball. They reached the state tournament played from June 26-28 in Port St. Lucie, but finished sixth.
Following a 7-0 loss to Lake Mary, Manatee fell to Windermere, 13-4, and ended its run with a victory over Miami Springs, 13-1.
“This team, I feel like, has stood out (from) my other experiences of being on a softball team,” said 13-year-old catcher/outfielder Emersyn Sloan. “I’ve meshed (with them) better… We all click as a group.”
Manatee, which is based out of Lakewood Ranch Park, advanced through District 26 without play, since it’s the only softball team in that district. Then it traveled to Dade City for the Section 4 tournament and won both games, 15-0 and 12-0, to advance once more.
Had it topped the statewide field, it would have moved on to the regional tournament in Warner Robins, Georgia, from July 17-22.
Its goal — like any 12U team in Little League — was to go even further than that. The Little League Softball World Series would've been the ultimate destination.
“Representing Florida for the first time for this whole league (is what we hoped to accomplish),” said 13-year-old catcher/shortstop Kennedy Hayman. “To do that in the first season of Little League (would've been) a big thing.”
Her father, JR Hayman, was head coach for the 12U All-Stars and has served as Manatee Softball Little League president since December 2025. He’s been on the board for 18 months.
Coaching softball dates back even further for him. He got into it when Kennedy Hayman switched over to then-Miss Manatee Softball from Buffalo Creek Little League in 2021.
The idea for Manatee to become a chartered member of Little League Softball began with former president Andrew Jensen in 2024. He coached alongside JR Hayman in the league back then, and discussed the idea with him.
David Haertel carried forward Jensen’s idea during his own presidency the following year, but it was Hayman who acted on it when he was appointed to the role.
“I was like, ‘Well, let’s take the bull by the horns and see what it looks like,’” Hayman said. “We just felt it could give our girls an opportunity to get some more exposure, but also, play longer and get more bang for their buck, so to speak.”
Miss Florida Softball, which Manatee joined upon inception in 1998, had its limitations.
The organization encompasses 13 leagues which are mostly based on the west coast of Florida. It hosts an All-Star tournament at the end of each spring season, but tournament play extends no further. Teams can’t climb the Little League ladder because they’re not chartered members.
Hayman and the rest of the board moved to change that. From February to June, this spring season was Manatee’s first in Little League, and it welcomed 59 players across five teams at the 12U level — its “majors” division.
The Manatee Softball 12U All-Stars consisted of 12 girls who were the best among the bunch.
"As soon as they came together, first practice, it was a good group of kids," Hayman said. "Usually, you deal with some of that nervousness or shyness. (There was) none of that."
Before each spring and fall season, Manatee re-drafts teams across all divisions of its league. That ensures parity and encourages players to build friendships during their time in the sport.
Nine girls on the 12U All-Stars’ roster had either played with or against each other in the league over the past two to three years. That translated to strong camaraderie among them, Hayman said
Sloan, 12-year-old catcher/third baseman Ainalanys Quinones and 12-year-old outfielder/second baseman Aaleyah Mays were new this spring — transplants from Miss Palma Sola Softball — but fit right in with the team.
It’s those teammate-to-teammate connections which tops Kennedy Hayman’s list of reasons why she first joined softball four and a half years ago.
“I’m basically here for the friendships, the competitiveness of the game and how fast it goes,” Hayman said. “It just makes you think sometimes.”
Playing for Manatee Softball 12U All-Stars allowed her to maintain friendships while also establishing new ones. It fed her competitive desire by giving her an opportunity to pursue the Little League Softball World Series.
For Sloan, this team — and this first-of-its-kind run — was an affirmation of the passion she’s long had for softball.
“When I started playing, it just clicked,” Sloan said. “This has been my sport. I have never thought about changing it for anything else.”
