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It might not have a broadcast deal to rival the National Rugby League, facilities that come close to Collingwoods Westpac Centre or the following of the Wallabies, but baseball -- specifically Little League -- is one of the fastest growing sports in Australia.The first Little League-affiliated leagues in Australia werent established until 2007, when Little League International and Baseball Australia began working together. But the sport has grown rapidly Down Under. After five years, Australia had more chartered Little League programs than Japan, and the country was granted direct entry to the Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, starting in 2013, when Little League officially separated Australia from the Asia-Pacific region.Today, more than 4,500 11- and 12-year-old Australian kids are registered participants on one of the countrys 477 teams.Outside of the United States and Canada, we have more participants in Little League than anyone else in the world, says Mathew Sundstrom, the head of Little League and National Championships for Baseball Australia. Our participation in the program has been rapidly growing ever since the introduction of our older divisions, which now allow under-15s and -17s to join the program.As a result, the National Championship has doubled in teams, from 10 to 20, which highlights the growth and retention rate for baseball in this country.Hills Little League from New South Wales won the countrys national championship in June and an automatic berth in the World Series, which will be played Aug. 18-28. Hills defeated another New South Wales team, Central Coast, 7-3 for the title. The champions scored 75 runs in six games during the tournament while allowing only four.?Hills, who are from the northwest region of Sydney, qualified for the nationals and then, in June at the Little League National Championships, went through the tournament undefeated, Sundstrom said.Hills prevailed 7-3 in the final to book its place in Williamsport. That means a team from Australias east coast will appear in the LLWS for the second consecutive year. Hills was just two wins away from reaching the Little League World Series last year but fell to eventual Australia representative Cronulla by two runs in the region semifinals.Despite the rapid growth, some things about baseball are still different Down Under. Hills manager Les Stockdale?allows that the velocity of the pitching in the U.S. is a lot higher than in Australia. Sundstrom acknowledges that Hills -- which will have a 65-day layoff before its first game in Williamsport and will travel farther (9,793 miles) to the Little League World Series than any other team -- faces a daunting task in Williamsport. But he believes this years squad is the best Australian team to ever compete at the World Series.?Its a massive task. Its a very big stage over there, and the biggest crowd this team has played in front of was about 150 people, he said. It will be the first time theyve played in front of 10,000 people -- not to mention the 40,000 walking around the complex.Theyve definitely got the potential to challenge and go deep into the tournament. The furthest weve been the last two years is winning one game before being knocked out.Stockdale says his teams immediate objective is to win two games, starting with the opener. Australia has never won its inaugural game of the tournament. It opens the Little League World Series against Italy at 5 p.m. ET Thursday. That is the first meeting between the teams at the LLWS.Kobe Bryant Shoes Deals . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. Clearance Kobe Bryant Shoes . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. https://www.cheapkobebryantshoes.com/ . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Cheap Kobe Bryant Shoes . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. Kobe Bryant Shoes From China . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times.Five-star small forward?Troy Brown Jr.?committed to the?Oregon?mens basketball team on Monday, choosing the Ducks over Kansas, Alabama, Georgetown?and Ohio State.Its a great organization, would love to play with coach [Dana] Altman as my head coach, Brown told ESPN. The style of play fits me very well for my versatility. Im comfortable with the players that will be there.Brown took official visits to all five of his finalists in September and October, but Oregon has been among the favorites for the talented perimeter prospect for a long time.Assistant coach Tony Stubblefield was the lead recruiter on Brown.Coach Stubbs did an amazing job of recruiting me, Brown said.Brown, a 6-foot-7 forward from Centennial High School (Nevada), is ranked No. 18 in the ESPN 100. He became an elite-level recruit early in his high school career. Brown had a standout performance at the LeBron James Skills Academy the July after his freshman season, and he was immediately considered one of the best prospects in the 2017 class.Browns stock dropped a bit as a sophomore and junior, but a strong showing at the USA Basketball tryouts in June and an impressive spring and summer with the Las Vegas Prospects on the Nike EYBL circuit brought him back into five-star status. Brown averaged 16 points, 8.3 reboounds and 3 assists with the Prospects.ddddddddddddThere should be a big role waiting for Brown as a freshman at Oregon. Starting center Chris Boucher and former Villanova?transfer Dylan Ennis will be out of eligibility after the upcoming season, while Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey could decide to leave early for the NBA draft after both players tested the waters this past spring.Brown is a versatile perimeter player who can handle the ball, initiate offense for others and has the size to defend wings and forwards. He has also improved his outside shooting over the course of his high school career. Expect him to combine with Casey Benson and freshman Payton Pritchard in an interchangeable perimeter trio when he gets on campus.I think I will be able to play a lot of minutes and be able to play multiple positions and be a big factor next season, Brown said.Brown joins ESPN 100 shooting guard Victor Bailey Jr. (No. 90) and four-star small forward Abu Kigab in Altmans 2017 class. Oregon also made the final list for top-50 guard Daejon Davis (No. 43), while five-star power forward Brandon McCoy (No. 6) is expected to visit the Ducks campus this weekend. ' ' '