‘A great kid’: Carsynn Meyer inspiring, impacting for Paseo Verde

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — For a brief moment, Carsynn Meyer feared the opportunity had slipped away. The resonant crack of her bat echoed through Lamade Stadium on Wednesday, sending the ball deep into the outfield before it was snared at the warning track for the second out of the sixth inning. She stood just feet from delivering the first home run for Paseo Verde in the Little League World Series. When the reality sank in, she smiled. “That would’ve been fun,” she said. ### Making her story The experience has been anything but ordinary for Meyer, the outfielder for the Henderson team that sits one win away from a championship berth in Williamsport. She is also one of only two girls competing in this year’s Little League World Series. “I’m incredibly proud of her,” said Tiffany Meyer, Carsynn’s mother. “She’s come a long way in baseball. She just keeps grinding it out.” Everywhere she goes around the Little League complex, the 12‑year‑old is constantly posing for photos and signing autographs. She has become a regular talking point on ESPN broadcasts. “I think it’s fine,” she said. “I enjoy taking photos and signing autographs. The interviews, I’m used to it.” A girl’s appearance at the Little League World Series is no longer as groundbreaking as it once was, yet it remains noteworthy. Including this year, 26 girls have played at Williamsport. This year marks the first time since 2014—and only the fourth occasion overall—that two girls have participated in the tournament simultaneously. Alabama’s Kinley Rasmus was the other participant, setting a record with five hits, the most ever by a girl in the LLWS. Her 14 strikeouts tied Mo’Ne Davis’s 2014 mark for the highest strikeout total by a female player. Both athletes have distinguished themselves in their own ways. Rasmus wore a black bow, while Meyer has consistently sported her signature braid. Phenix City’s run in Williamsport ended after an 11‑2 loss to Hamilton, Ohio, on Wednesday, setting up a rematch with Ohio for the U.S. title on Saturday. Meyer could become the first girl since Japan’s Sayaka Tsushima in 1998 to play for a world championship. “She’s just a genuine, great kid,” said Paseo Verde manager Cory Edwards. ### Getting used to Williamsport This is Meyer’s second visit to Williamsport within the past two months. She was among 96 female baseball players who took part in the third annual Maria Pepe Little League Baseball Legacy Series. Her favorite aspect of Williamsport, both times, is spending time in “The Grove”—the complex on the Little League grounds that houses players throughout the tournament. The area offers plenty to keep kids entertained: ping‑pong tables, video games, arcade games, and basketball courts. She enjoys sharing those experiences with peers from around the globe. “It’s just cool to see how they do things, how they talk and how they communicate,” she said. Meyer has not received the same level of publicity as Rasmus, partly because Alabama played five games while Paseo Verde has appeared in only three. Phenix City’s two primetime ESPN broadcasts attracted a larger audience, whereas Paseo Verde’s games have been scheduled at 9 a.m. EST and noon EST, with one game omitted from television due to a rain delay on Aug. 20 that pushed the tournament back a day. ### Being an inspiration Although Meyer bats 12th and is not a starter in the field, she has been a threat at the plate for a Paseo Verde lineup that is hitting a staggering .351 for the tournament. She has recorded one hit in seven at‑bats, but it was an RBI single in Paseo Verde’s second game against Tacoma. Her energy is infectious and a valuable addition to the team, Edwards noted. Meyer has not lacked encouragement back home, including support from her favorite team, the Las Vegas Aces. Before the tournament, A’ja Wilson wished Paseo Verde luck on Instagram and specifically gave Meyer a shoutout. “I thought that was awesome,” she said. “They’re my favorites.” Meyer, a student at Bob Miller Middle School, has two siblings—Cade, 15, and Chloe, 16. Despite being the youngest, Tiffany and her husband, Seth, have been amazed at how their daughter has handled the attention. “She’s amazed me,” Tiffany said. “She wants people to know that if you put in the work and you want it badly enough, you can do anything.” Meyer does not take this experience for granted. She loves the idea of opening the door for other girls who wish to participate in Little League. Being on a championship team could help with that, too. “I know she likes the attention in terms of being an inspiration to kids across the country, or even the world,” Edwards said. “You don’t see many girls out here playing baseball. Her love for the game just gives her the passion to be that inspiration.”