Bainbridge rolled through the winners bracket knocking off Auburn, Northwest Seattle, Mill Creek, and Greater Richland before meeting Mill Creek again in the finals. Mill Creek won the first game of the championship series but the advantage of the winners bracket gave Bainbridge another shot and they beat Mill Creek 5-1 to claim the title, earning a ticket to Northwest Regional tournament in San Bernardino, California.

At the state tournament in Walla Walla, Robbie Stevenson began to establish himself as the staff ace. Contemporary coverage notes that he won the state-championship-clinching game, setting the tone for the rest of the summer as Bainbridge captured its first Washington state Little League title.

With the state banner secured, the team stood one step from national television and the chance to represent the Northwest at the Little League World Series.

State tournament recap →

In their opener against Davenport (Iowa), Bainbridge played in the first extra-inning game of that year’s Series. With the game tied 3–3 in the seventh, Coby Gibler jumped on the first pitch and hit a walk-off solo home run to win it 4–3. He then moved from first base to the mound and retired all three batters in the bottom of the inning, striking out two to lock down the victory.

ESPN coverage of 4–3 win over Davenport, IA →

Against Apopka (Florida), Bainbridge ran into a dominant outing from Justin Lafavers, who took a no-hit bid into the final out. With two outs in the sixth, Peter Leslie broke it up with a clean single to center—Bainbridge’s only hit of the game—in a 2–0 loss that still showed the team’s grit.

ESPN coverage of 2–0 loss to Apopka, FL →

In pool play against the Rolando Paulino “Baby Bombers” from the Bronx, Bainbridge was limited to four hits by Rolando Torres and a flawless New York defense in a 5–0 defeat, but they finished pool play with a 1–2 on-field record and, at the time, were widely recognized for hanging tough in one of the tournament’s deepest groups.

ESPN coverage of 5–0 loss to Bronx, NY →

Bainbridge finished pool play as one of the top U.S. teams, and later forfeits by the Bronx, NY club in the wake of the Danny Almonte controversy bumped them even higher in the final standings, ultimately placing 5th in the country. For the players, the experience was about more than results: trading pins, meeting teams from around the world, and realizing they were part of baseball history.

Official 2001 LLWS results → Bainbridge Review ($): Little League World Series is a Family Affair →
Seattle PI: Gibler faces heavy burden →
Bainbridge Review ($): All-Stars fall, ousted from LLWS →
Seattle PI: Little League team makes [Seattle] proud →

When the team returned from Pennsylvania, Bainbridge turned out in force. A homecoming parade and ceremony honored the players, coaches, and families who had spent the summer on the road chasing an unlikely dream.

In Olympia, lawmakers passed resolutions recognizing the All-Stars for their district, state, and regional titles and for representing Washington on the biggest stage in youth baseball. Local newspapers and regional sports halls of fame have continued to highlight the 2001 team as one of Bainbridge Island’s defining sports stories.

2002 :: WA state resolution honoring the team →
2005 :: Bainbridge Review ($): Boys of summer making mark for BHS →
2006 :: Seattle PI: “Where Are They Now?” feature →
2021 :: Team inducted into the Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame →
2022 :: Grand Salami Time: Interview with Austin Hurt →

After the World Series

The boys from the 2001 Bainbridge Island All-Stars grew up and went in a lot of different directions, but each carried a piece of that unforgettable summer with them. Adam Beck, Michael Heald, Tal Glass, Rudy Sharar, Taurean Yamada, Jesse Colkitt, and Peter Huisinga all continued playing baseball at Bainbridge High, with Beck eventually pitching at Trinity University. Robbie Stevenson, the team’s ace, became a varsity standout before going on to study bioengineering at the University of Washington. Power hitters Nash Hensen and Dalton Gent both played high-school ball—Hensen starring later at Boulder High—while Peter Leslie and Austin Hurt shifted their athletic talents to golf, where Hurt ultimately became a PGA professional and the head pro at Wing Point. Coby Gibler, the towering first baseman whose bat helped carry the team to Williamsport, went on to play college basketball at Central Washington University.

The adults who guided them—manager Don French and coaches Dick Henshaw and Greg Stevenson—left just as strong a mark. French, a former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher who coached Bainbridge Little League teams for 27 years, called the 2001 World Series run "the biggest thing that’s ever happened to Bainbridge Island." Henshaw and Stevenson were known as steady, kid-first leaders who helped shape not only that team, but the generations of players who followed. Continuing the legacy, "Henshaw" is a name that those in the Bainbridge baseball community will recognize as belonging to Thomas Henshaw, head coach of the 2025 WA 2A State Champion Bainbridge High School Spartans and son of Dick Henshaw.

Two decades later, the boys from Bainbridge are teachers, coaches, athletes, professionals, and parents—but for one summer, they were a group of kids who carried a community with them all the way to Williamsport. Their story continues to inspire every BILL player who asks what it’s like to step onto the field in Williamsport wearing “Bainbridge" across their chest.