Baseball history in the Lannom family goes back six decades, and it’s taken 60 years, give or take, for the family to finally reach its goal of competing in the Little League World Series.
That honor goes to Ward Lannom and son Walker Lannom. Ward is the manager of the Sweetwater Valley Little League 12U all-star team that finds itself competing against elite teams from the United States and beyond in historic Williamsport, Pa. Walker is the team’s hard-hitting second baseman.
It’s understandably been a magical journey for father and son, who so many years ago began the family tradition by playing catch with each other in the family’s yard.
Neither Ward nor Walker were the first in the clan to ever pick up a baseball.
Ward Sr., Ward’s father and Walker’s grandfather, was quite the athlete during the 1960s at Hilltop High School. In fact, Ward Sr. owes much of his baseball playing career to his mother Fran, who helped found Chula Vista American Little League in the mid-1950s.
“She helped found the league in 1954 or 1955 and was the chief scorekeeper for the league,” explained Ward Sr., who graduated from Hilltop High School in 1966.
Ward Lannom Sr. played youth baseball in Chula Vista American Little League from the time he was 8 until he was 12. He played two years of PONY League Baseball and was a member of the Chula Vista Colt League all-star team that finished one win away from the state championship and advancing to the national championship tournament in Oklahoma.
He set a longtime single-season scoring record in football at Hilltop High School.
Lannom scored 16 points in a 28-7 victory against visiting Sweetwater on Oct. 29, 1965, in a match-up for first place in the Metro League standings to reach 100 points with 15 touchdowns and 10 PAT conversions. He finished third in league scoring that season behind Escondido’s Dan Hustead (115 points) and Chula Vista’s Jim Baldwin (106 points).
Ward Lannom, the Sweetwater Valley Little League manager, was coached by his father in youth baseball at Park View Little League (Caps through Majors) and Chula Vista North PONY League.
Ward Lannom Sr. served as Park View Little League all-star manager three years. He vividly remembers the 1982 season as Park View finished runner-up to South Bay Little League for the district championship.
This was the history-making South Bay Little League team that advanced all the way to the Little League Western Regional championships, taking a meteoric second-place finish to Kirkland National Little League from Washington State in a bid to advance to the hallmark Little League World Series.
“They were the only team that beat us in district,” the elder Lannom recalled. “They lost in the Western Regional to the team that won the Little League World Series. Back then, only four teams in the United States went to the Little League World Series — one each from the East, West, North and South regions.”
Ward Lannom, then 12, also vividly remembers playing against the South Bay team that fell, 3-0, to Kirkland National in the West Regional championship game.
Kirkland National defeated Taiwan, 6-0, to win the LLWS championship.
Since then, three teams from California District 42 have made the trek to the Western Regional tournament — and ultimately to Williamsport, Pa. Sweetwater Valley defeated Waipio Little League from Hawaii, 12-10, on Aug. 15 to punch its history-making ticket to the Little League World Series.
Ward Lannom has enjoyed the distinction of managing the most successful all-star team in the league’s 55-year history. Like his father, he got his high school baseball education as a Hilltop Lancer. A 1987 HHS graduate, Lannom was the starting right fielder as a sophomore on Hilltop’s 1985 CIF championship team.
He played one year at Southwestern College before starting a career in business.
Ward Lannom Sr. has kept track of his son’s — and now grandson’s — baseball careers. Ward has three baseball-playing sons: Mitchell, Wyatt and Walker. Ward Sr. has two grandsons through his daughter Tammy Niehaus: Nathan and Noah.
“There’s not a field I haven’t been to watching them play either Little League or travel ball,” Ward Sr. chuckled. “One day, I went to four different fields. They kept us hopping.”
The 2015 Sweetwater Valley all-star team, with 72 home runs in 16 games, has amazed the elder Lannom.
“I coached five all-star teams (in Little League and Pony) and I can only dream that I’d have a team that could hit like that. Off the bench, everybody is capable of hitting it out of the park. It’s amazing.”
Ward Sr. made the trip to the Western Regional tournament in San Bernardino to cheer on son Ward and grandson Walker — and the rest of the team.
“I wouldn’t miss that,” Ward Sr. said matter-of-factly.
It’s turned into a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the entire family.
Mitchell is the eldest of Ward and Kelly Lannom’s three sons, with Wyatt being the middle boy and Walker the youngest. Mitchell is a senior at Eastlake High School where Wyatt is a freshman. Both currently play on the school’s water polo team.
But youth baseball was in their blood from the start. All were selections to Sweetwater Valley Little League all-star teams every year they were eligible.
“Baseball was always my main sport from 6 years old to a freshman in high school,” Mitchell said. “It was the best experience. Every year, I would look forward to competing in all-stars. I could play with my friends and practice with them every day.”
The water polo bug bit him three years ago, however, partly through his cousin Nathan Niehaus becoming a standout in the sport and urging him to play.
“It’s definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Mitchell admitted. “But I enjoy it because it makes hard work seem easier.”
But watching this year’s Sweetwater Valley games has put him on edge. “I’m completely impressed,” Mitchell said. “Every time I watch them, it makes me nervous, especially when my brother comes up to bat.”
Wyatt was a member of last year’s SVLL 12U all-start team that advanced as far as the Southern California South Division III tournament — two steps away from regionals. Though that Sweetwater Valley team fell short of its goal, Wyatt earned respect from the entire San Diego County Little League community by the positive comments he made on television following the tournament.
He showed he was not only talented but a true sportsman as he offered congratulations and encouragement to tournament champion Encinitas on its journey forward. His comments drew a letter of praise from Encinitas Little League and the video on You Tube has since gone viral.
“We should have won but we didn’t,” Wyatt confessed. “It was really fun. When we lost, a lot of the kids (on the team) were sad. I was sad, too, but I didn’t show it as much. I was proud of them for how we bonded as a team. I knew it would end at some point.”
Wyatt has enjoyed watching this year’s SVLL all-star squad venture into previously uncharted territory.
“It’s really cool,” Wyatt said. “I’m excited for Walker. He’s living the dream I wanted to.”
