Believe. That’s what Irmo Little League coach Dave Bogan told his team as they faced elimination at the 2025 Little League World Series.

Irmo trailed South Dakota 6-1 after just giving up five runs in the top of the seventh inning. 

With things looking dire, Bogan embraced his inner Ted Lasso and inspired his team to victory. While his players failed to understand the reference, the message was clear.

“Only one of them had seen [the show] I think,” Bogan said. “But, I said we’ve got to believe, and they did.”

The team rallied with four runs, cutting the deficit to one with one out on the board and the bases loaded.

It was Bogan’s son, Andrew, who stepped up to the plate next. He worked the count 2-2 before slamming the ball to right field, scoring two runs and ending the game.

“I’m just thinking, 'get on base, get a hit.' Anyway I can get on just works,” Andrew said after the game. “Just very happy we get to move on.”

From that moment, everyone watching became believers. Those who followed the team throughout its journey to the World Series already knew what they were capable of.

Irmo was the first team from South Carolina to make it to the World Series since 2015. The team earned the right to go to Williamsport after defeating the defending champions from Florida in the Southeast Regional Championship.

The boys overcame an improbable situation then too, scoring five runs to rally from a 4-0 deficit in the game’s final inning.

In Williamsport, the team got off to a great start, beating Massachusetts 13-0. The team moved on to play Nevada in the next round, experiencing their first hiccup of the tournament.

Irmo lost 1-0 in extra innings after struggling to score runs. The team got hits and forced walks to reach base, but left runners stranded.

“That was our achilles heel,” Bogan said.

The team bounced to the elimination bracket and was one loss away from elimination. To make the U.S. Championship, it had to win three games in three days.

Irmo’s first elimination game was against Hawaii. Brady Westbrooks threw a complete game, and the defense held strong in a 3-0 win.

The next day was the team’s miraculous comeback against South Dakota. Like against Nevada, the team struggled to bring runners home. A slew of walks and a few timely hits in the final two innings saved the team’s season.

“We’re grinding, we’re getting deep into counts,” Bogan said. “Building, building, building that pitch count allowed us to get into their bullpen, and ultimately win.”

Riding a wave of momentum, the only team that stood in the way of Irmo and the U.S. Championship was a rematch against Nevada.

It was another close game between the two teams, coming down to the final few plays. Nevada took a 1-0 lead first, but Irmo tied the game in the second with a home run from Brody Miller.

Nevada retook the lead, but Joe Giulietti tied things again in the fourth inning with a solo shot of his own. Sutton Gravelle gave Irmo its first lead of the game after drawing a bases-loaded walk in the fifth.

The team was three outs away from securing its place in the U.S. Championship, but Nevada’s Garrett Gallegos had other plans.

Gallegos hit a three-run homer in the top of the sixth to give Nevada the lead and put pressure on Irmo in their final batting opportunity.

Irmo gave a great effort but fell short of scoring any runs, and its journey came to an end. The team finished tied for fifth at the tournament and showed that Irmo kids can shine on the world stage.

“I told them in the first parent meeting, after we named the team, this group could be special,” Bogan said. “They went well beyond my expectations of what special means. The heart, the grit this group showed, going to be legendary in Irmo.”

The team returned home this weekend to much fanfare and support from the community. The Town of Irmo plans to honor the team with a celebration at Friarsgate Park on Sept. 3 at 6:30 p.m.