You can call Hamilton West Side a lot of things. Energetic, tenacious, champions of the U.S. Little League World Series Elimination Bracket, to name a few.
Just don't call them lucky.
Even as things have gone so right for Ohio in the Little League World Series, luck has never been their ally. Before each game, the two managers meet for a coin toss to determine the home team. With the home designation, teams get the theoretical advantages of the first-base dugout and batting second.
Hamilton has been the visitors in every one of their six games.
"I've not won a coin flip yet," West Side manager Tim Nichting said. "Now, I don't even care if I win a coin flip. We've been in the third-base side. We know the routine."
What others might see as bad luck, West Side has turned into opportunity. With the ability to bat first each game they've put instant pressure on their opponent by scoring in the top of the first inning four times. Ohio has scored first in each game, and often in bunches: four runs in the first against both Alabama and Iowa, and a five-run fourth against Texas.
Ohio's offense has been the best in the tournament, putting up 44 runs in six games. Their small-ball style has steadily chipped away at opposing defenses, but they do have a not-so secret weapon that puts them at an advantage.
Leadoff batter Boone Treadway, also a star pitcher and shortstop, has been incredibly difficult for opponents to figure out. He's drawn a Little League World Series record 10 walks, and he isn't done yet. Nichting had an interesting answer for his shortstop's prowess.
"My first answer would be a little bit of intimidation," Nichting said. "He hit well in regionals, so that's part of it."
Of course, Treadway's home environment has helped develop a keen eye. He's grown up in a baseball family. His father, Brion, is the head coach at Badin High School, where he just won a state championship alongside another son, Brooks.
Defensively, West Side has gotten tremendous value from its entire pitching staff. In a tournament where pitching depth is king, Hamilton has found success with six different pitchers. Most recently, Walker Osborne threw a complete game against Iowa, which helped keep other arms rested for the weekend.
"Walker is just a great kid," Nichting said. "He's not one of the flashy kind of pitchers; he just goes out there and throws strikes."
Pitchers have mandatory rest, depending on how many pitches they throw in a game. Available for Hamilton's U.S. finals game are ace Josiah Infante, Bob Frazier, Leo Feltner, Xander Kinkade and Jack McAdams.
West Side gets revenge look against Nevada
Ohio battled its way through elimination game after elimination game, winning four in a row in convincing fashion. They knocked out Massachusetts with a 10-0 run-rule win in four innings. They booted Texas 6-1. They dispatched New Jersey with a deceptively dominant 5-2 showing, and on Thursday they handled Iowa 7-1.
Now Hamilton gets a rematch with Nevada, the team that sent them to the elimination bracket with a 6-5 walk-off defeat in the opener after having led 5-2. Nevada went undefeated in the winners' bracket, moving on from Ohio to take out Washington. The Mountain champions are well-rested after blasting Iowa 14-6 on Wednesday.
Ohio's kids are fired up for the revenge game on Saturday.
"Yeah, they beat us, but we think we're better than they are," Nichting said, "and we want to go out and prove it on the field."
They'll have a great chance to do so. West Side will get the big man Josiah Infante back on the mound. At 6-foot-1, Infante is the biggest player in the tournament and a tough pitcher to face. He's thrown five innings across three games, striking out six and allowing just two hits.
The winner of the U.S. final advances to the Little League World Series Championship to face the International champion. That game will take place on Sunday, Aug. 30. The runner-up will play the third-place game.
No matter what happens, West Side has already made a name for itself on the biggest stage.
"It's crazy what we've done so far," Nichting said. "Even if we were to lose, it can't diminish what we've done."
Nichting family legacy turned West Side into superpower
Nichting is no stranger to the biggest stage. He's been coaching Little League for 43 years, reaching Williamsport a record five times.
"I've done this forever; it's kind of been my life," Nichting said. "I'm getting closer to the end, and to be in this position is very humbling. A lot of pride and joy; I just hope we can keep it going."
Building West Side into the national powerhouse it's become has been a labor of love for the Nichting family. Tim's father, Ray, was the longtime manager from 1968 until his retirement in 1999. Tim came alongside his dad in 1983, joining him on two trips to the World Series.
After four decades of coaching Little League, family still keeps Nichting going. Even if West Side were to win its first Little League World Series, he's coming back next year to coach his two granddaughters.
The 2026 World Series may be West Side's best shot at a championship, but Nichting doesn't seem too concerned with that. He's proud of what this team has accomplished and what it means to the city of Hamilton.
"This is crazy for me. I think it's crazy for my kids. I think it's crazy for Hamilton, but I work hard. I make my kids work hard. It ain’t like we don't deserve it. It ain't like they cut any breaks (or) they get away with anything. We all work hard, don't we?"
Yes, West Side works hard. They work hard in spite of adversity, and they work hard in spite of luck. They'll do it once again in the U.S. finals, visitors for a seventh time at the mercy of the coin.
Is that how Nichting wants to play?
"Without a doubt."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'This is just nuts.' Hamilton headed to Little League U.S. finals
