The Taiwan Little League team lines up for the handshake line after a 2-0 loss to Curacao in the International Championship baseball game at the Little League World Series tournament on Aug. 26, 2023 in South Williamsport, Pa.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Kuei-Shan Little League is ready to make another run at the Little League World Series, only this time it’s hoping for a happier ending.

The team from Taoyuan, Taiwan, that came to South Williamsport, Pennsylvania last year with the hardest-throwing pitcher and finished third in the tournament is back, again under the leadership of Manager Lee Cheng-Ta, but the roster is drastically different.

There are no returning players.

“There’s no one ace for the team and everyone is contributing,” Cheng-Ta said through an interpreter.

The tournament starts on Wednesday with four games, including Taiwan against Canada on the international side of the bracket.

Last year, Taiwan outscored its opponents 25-1, going 3-0 before championship weekend, thanks in large part to pitching ace Fan Chen-Jun. Taiwan was then held to one hit in a 2-0 loss to Curaçao in the international championship game, ending its quest for its first LLWS title since 1996.

This is Kuei-Shan’s fourth trip to the LLWS. They advanced to the title game in 2009 and qualified for the tournament again in 2012. Cheng-Ta has been part of the team for all of it, and he feels this is the smartest team he has ever coached.

“Because of their smartness, they’re able to conquer a lot of weaknesses that their physical strength cannot cover,” he said.

In the Asia-Pacific Region tournament, Kuei-Shan went 5-1.

Kuei-Shan lost to South Korea 13-3, then won the rematch in the regional final, 3-0.

“This team is very good defensively, (errors) are very rare,” Cheng-Ta said. “As long as they can uphold that defensive game, they usually come up pretty well.”

Offensively, the team also has put up strong numbers. All of its other region tournament wins were by at least 10 runs.

The winner of the Taiwan-Canada game will face Australia, which received an opening-round bye.

“Because it’s a different team, it’s so difficult to get here,” Cheng-Ta said. “Either win or lose, enjoy the road to Williamsport and hopefully the kids have the best memory in Williamsport.”

The international side also features the second tournament appearance of Cuba, represented by Santa Clara Little League from Villa Clara. In its first appearance last year, Cuba quickly dropped two games and an assistant coach disappeared from the team.

WEST STILL BEST?

A West Region team has won the Little League World Series three times since 2018. No tournament was held during 2020 and only U.S. teams competed in 2021, but the region has still dominated.

In 2018 and 2022, Hawaii brought home the title and last year El Segundo, California, defeated Curaçao to keep the West region above the rest.

Hawaii makes its 16th appearance with Central East Maui Little League from Wailuku representing the West. It’s a different team than the one from Honolulu that’s taken home hardware, but in 2019, it made it all the way to the U.S. final before losing and then falling to Japan in the consolation game.

To get to Pennsylvania this year, CEM went 3-1 in the West Region Tournament. After falling to Southern California 11-3, Friday’s regional final was a rematch, with the Hawaiian team winning this time, 2-1.

“Just to even get a chance to be here and play here, it truly is an honor,” Manager Daniel Bolduc said.

On Wednesday, Central East Maui will play Salem (N.H.) Little League from the New England Region. Salem advance with a 2-0 win over Portland Little League in the New England regional championship game.