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Little League International is asking a Texas judge to dissolve a temporary restraining order that would have allowed the previously disqualified Tulsa National Little League team to play for a chance to reach the Little League World Series, according to new court documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
“When one team follows the rules and another team conceals material eligibility information until the last possible moment, the Courts should not substitute its feelings of sympathy for the team that violated the rules and go against Texas’s long-standing doctrine of judicial non-intervention with the affairs of a self-governing association,” Little League International wrote in its emergency motion filed Aug. 11.
The Tulsa team was disqualified Aug. 10 from the Southwest Region tournament in Waco, Texas, when it was discovered it previously fielded a player who did not meet eligibility requirements, according to Little League International. The player in question did not play in the Southwest Region tournament but had played in the Oklahoma State Tournament, which helped qualify Tulsa for the Little League regionals.
But on Aug. 11, the Tulsa team was granted a temporary restraining order by the 414th Judicial District in McLennan County, Texas, allowing it to compete for a spot in the Little League Baseball World Series, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
Later that afternoon, mere hours before Tulsa was scheduled to play a rescheduled Southeast Regional championship game against Texas West at 7 p.m. ET as ordered by the court, Little League International filed an emergency motion saying that compliance with the restraining order was “impossible.”
Little League’s original decision to disqualify Tulsa reshuffled the tournament bracket, resulting in Texas West defeating Louisiana 4-1 on Aug. 10 in what was change from an elimination semifinal to the region’s title game.
The Texas West team from Boerne, Texas, as well as broadcast crews, staff, media and volunteers had begun to depart Waco before the judge granted the restraining order, Little League International said in its court filing.
“The young players from Texas West (Boerne) have already been briefed on the next stage of their tournament journey and are due in Williamsport, Pennsylvania this Friday, August 14, 2026,” the motion said. “Their parents and coaches already made travel arrangements. The Texas players have already been crowned Southwest Region Champions. The TRO seeks to take this deserved victory away from the Texas team’s young players and to give another chance to the Tulsa National team, who broke LLB’s rules, concealed player eligibility, and then sought this Court’s ex parte assistance to force their way back into the tournament.”
How did the Tulsa Little League controversy begin?
According to a court complaint obtained by USA TODAY Sports, a Tulsa player identified as “O.G.” lived outside Tulsa National’s geographic boundaries but was deemed eligible to play under an existing rule because his sibling participated in the team’s adaptive baseball program.
However, according to the complaint, after O.G. played in the Oklahoma state tournament, it was discovered that O.G.’s father entered the wrong birth year when registering O.G.’s sibling for the adaptive program. It also said O.G.’s sibling didn’t play enough games to keep him eligible.
O.G.’s parents immediately removed him from the team but three other teams competing in the Southwest Regional — Texas East, Texas West and Louisiana — filed protests against Tulsa’s participation with Little League.
After Little League disqualified Tulsa, parents of players filed an original court petition, asking the judge to grant a temporary restraining order and injunctive relief to allow Tulsa to compete. The temporary restraining order explains that after reviewing the plaintiffs’ supporting declarations, exhibits, and evidence, the court found that Tulsa presented a strong case supporting its eligibility.
What happens next after the Tulsa Little League controversy?
On its website, Little League International rescheduled a game between Texas West and Oklahoma at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday, Aug. 11.
It was unclear whether the Texas West team would even be able to attend the game if held, since Little League International asserted in its legal motion that, “Four (Bourne) families had already departed from Waco, leaving the team without enough players to field a team.”
Little League International also said the ongoing legal squabble puts the organization in an “untenable position where it cannot practically accommodate two putative Southwest Region champions and therefore a 21st team at the Little League World Series International Tournament.”
The Little League World Series is scheduled to run Aug. 19-28 in South Williamsport.
Contributing: Elizabeth Flores, Kristie Ackert