Niceville Wins First Little League State Championship in 16 Years

The Niceville Little League 8-10 All-Stars are headed to North Carolina with a state championship trophy in hand.

Niceville defeated Winter Garden Little League 6-3 in Sunday’s championship game to win the 2026 Florida Little League Baseball State Championship, completing a remarkable postseason run that began with district play and culminated in defeating some of the best teams in the state.

The title marks Niceville’s first Florida Little League Baseball state championship at any age level in 16 years.

The team entered the state tournament in St. Augustine after capturing both the Florida District 1 and Florida Section 1 championships. Over three days, Niceville played four games against elite competition, showcasing resilience and determination throughout the tournament.

The All Stars opened tournament play Friday with a dominant 15-5 victory over Viera Suntree, ending the game after four innings under the run rule.

Saturday brought a pair of tightly contested games. Niceville defeated North Naples 8-5 before suffering its only loss of the tournament, falling 6-5 to Dunedin. Despite the setback, the team advanced to Sunday’s championship game by winning a three-way pool-play tiebreaker based on the fewest runs allowed.

That set up a championship showdown against undefeated Winter Garden.

Niceville answered the challenge, defeating Winter Garden 6-3 on Sunday to claim the Florida state title and earn the right to represent Florida at the Tournament of State Champions.

The team will travel to Wilson, North Carolina, from Aug. 1-5 to compete against eight other state champions from across the country. For the 8-10 division, the Tournament of State Champions represents the highest level of postseason competition in Little League Baseball.

Players on the championship roster include Kellan Tomaschko, Carson Forehand, Chase Lovell, Gunner Gheen, Porter Brunson, Bodhi Spillman, Tyler Broussard, Isaac Dwyer, Liam Sandroni, Pierson Dvorak, Winston Winterer and Jordan Brazell.

The team is coached by Head Coach Chris Brunson and assistant coaches Jacob Lovell, Justin Brazell and Alex Sandroni.

After an unforgettable run through district, section and state competition, Niceville will now carry Florida’s banner onto the national stage.

Congratulations from all of us at Mid Bay News! ⚾🏆 Best of luck in North Carolina—we’ll be cheering you on every step of the way!