WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- The Mamie Johnson Little League Majors team, made up of all African Americans, is headed to Bristol.
The team won the DC Little League Championship, beating Capitol Hill Little League 14-7 in the title game.
According to their team site, the Mamie Johnson Little League Majors team was created in 2015 and named after Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, a D.C. resident who was the first female pitcher in the Negro league.
Their mission, "to provide families in Southeast DC, the opportunity to learn and play the game of baseball," but like their namesake, they're set to continue to make history.
The team is only the second all African American team to compete in the championship in the game's 31-year history, with the first team making history last year.
The Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy hosted the game, and eight of the 12 players on the Mamie Johnson team participate in the programs that the academy provides.
The Mamie Johnson Little League Majors team didn’t celebrate for too long after winning the 2018 DC Little League Championship Tuesday night.
Within hours following their big win, the team was already back at their home base, the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, practicing for regionals in Connecticut next month.
“We heard the team in New York is good, but we can be better,” said third baseman, Joshua Young.
Young and his teammates are a big hit in Washington. Not only are they the first nearly all-black little league team to win this tournament, the team has only existed since 2015.
Most players had no idea how to play the game.
“I didn’t understand it at first, but now I like it,” said Young.
While winning is wonderful, their coaches said this is really about making sure the kids are ready for whatever’s thrown their way in the major leagues and life.
“Keeping them off the streets is paramount. I think this gives them a great outlet. We not only stress baseball, but education,” said Coach Keith Barnes.
Young hopes he can lead his team to the Little League World Series and make history like Mamie Johnson, the first woman to pitch in the Negro League.
