Kerry Gilstrap/CourierA Puerto Rico baserunner slides safely into first on a pick-off attempt during last year’s Big League World Series championship game against the S.C. District 1 host team in Easley. This year’s series is under way now, with the title game scheduled to be televised on ESPN next Wednesday evening.

Big League World Series

EASLEY — The Big League World Series swings into action this week at Easley’s J.B. “Red” Owens Complex, with 11 teams from around the world vying for the right to be called world champion.
The series will feature several familiar squads, including a matchup of rival Upstate teams on Saturday evening, as the U.S. Southeast champion S.C. District 7 squad of Greenville will battle the S.C. District 1 host team at 7:30 p.m.
In addition to the host team and the Greenville team, which have combined to win six BLWS titles since the series’ move to Easley in 2001, the Thousand Oaks, Calif., squad representing the U.S. West region will be back after earning the crown in 2006.
The host team hasn’t won the tournament since 2007, although it should be considered among the favorites this year after falling to Puerto Rico in the championship game last year.
In addition to the host team, Thousand Oaks and S.C. District 7 — which went 5-0 last week in the southeast tournament to earn its way into the BLWS — other teams from around the U.S. include New Jersey District 2, Michigan District 9 and Texas District 28, representing U.S. East, Central and Southwest, respectively.
International teams in Easley will be Tlaquepaque, Mexico, an automatic qualifier, as well as a squad from Maracaibo, Venezuela, one from Tao-Yuan County, Chinese Taipei, one from Fraser Valley, British Columbia, and Germany District 2.
The teams will each play four games within either the international or U.S. pool between today and Monday, with the two teams with the best records in each pool facing off in semifinal matchups on Tuesday.
The championship game is scheduled for Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised live by ESPN.

2013 Schedule