LLWS star Stella Weaver wowed by Trailblazer Series experience

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- At just 14 years old, Stella Weaver has already experienced one of the ultimate highs of baseball for a youngster coming up through the ranks, but even she has been blown away by her first time at the venerable Jackie Robinson Training Complex on Florida’s Treasure Coast.

Weaver made a name for herself when she participated in the 2023 Little League World Series, the summer classic that pits teams from all over the world seeking a championship in the north-central city of Williamsport, Pa., the headquarters and host site for the event since 1947.

But there is novelty for Weaver in coming to the JRTC as part of the Trailblazer Series: It is the first-ever camp for the class of 2029 invitee who pitches and plays shortstop.

“I wanted to participate in Trailblazers because all my coaches were telling me to go to a tryout. My coach [Randy Huth] said, ‘You should try out for this,’ and all my friends were like, ‘You should do it,’” Weaver said. “I’ve actually never been to a camp before, so I’m just trying to have as much fun as I can and meet people from all around the country and Canada and all these places.”

The training ground where Jackie Robinson honed his skills -- which now features state-of-the-art workout areas, playing fields and other amenities -- has left a strong impression on Weaver, who already has experienced playing in front of a national TV broadcast.

“It’s amazing. I love it. Meeting all these new people, staying in a room with my friend and just getting to walk around and just see all these amazing fields and places is fun,” she said. “I was so excited [to be selected] to go see girls that are very competitive and meet all the women on the U.S. women’s [national] baseball [team]. I knew it would be the coolest thing ever.”

Weaver has already had a run-in with another pretty cool thing.

When asked how many other girls were playing in the LLWS with her two years ago, Weaver fired back a quick response.

“None.”

As a member of the Southeast team dubbed “Stella and the Fellas” and in a baseball community overcome by “Weaver Fever,” she went 4-for-8 and tied the all-time record for batting average in the tournament by a girl (.500), dazzling folks with her play on the fields near the Susquehanna River.

Weaver became the 22nd girl to play in the prestigious summer series.

“Being the only girl in the Little League World Series was weird because there were like 20 teams, and all of them were all boys,” she said. “But it was so much fun. All of [the boys] were a little awkward because they were like, ‘What do I do around the girl?’ But it was really fun.”

Weaver developed friendships with players from neighboring teams like Cura?ao and Mexico while housed in “The Grove,” the LLWS’ lodging area, and she spent a good part of her time signing autographs and taking pictures.

When it came to playing in front of the large crowds, Weaver adopted the simple attitude of just reacting and playing instead of thinking.

“Honestly, I wasn’t even thinking,” she said. “My dad will come to me at the end of a game and say, ‘What did you learn?’ I just tell him that I zoned out the whole time.”

In an interview during the tournament, Huth said Weaver fit right in with the club.

“She’s a baseball player,” the coach said. “She’s not just a girl who’s here. She can really play the game, and she’s very, very good.”

Back home in Franklin, Tenn., however, Weaver is not stepping out on a baseball diamond to play, just to practice.

“I actually don’t play right now,” she said. “Once you get to my age, the boys are hitting puberty and they get … stronger. So I’m not really playing baseball, but I am playing softball. It’s going very well.”

Weaver said sliding between the two sports isn’t difficult.

“It’s actually been easy,” she said. “I’ve been practicing going from softball to baseball. I’ll go hit on the field with baseball, then I’ll go to softball practice right after. At first getting the grip from softball to baseball was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this baseball is so small.’ Once I got the feel for it pitching, I was chill.”

For Weaver, the baseball journey has been all chill so far.