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Having one or multiple Little League programs win a district championship is something that a Little League program can certainly look back at with pride and be proud of.
However, when one Little League program wins six district championships in a single summer season, that in and of itself is quite significant.
The Wheelersburg Little League program did just that, and in turn, may have to adopt a new slogan to honor the occasion — perhaps 6 in '26, or something akin to what you could find on a Wendy's menu.
However you'd like to honor it, the Wheelersburg 7-8 year-old baseball and softball All-Stars, the Wheelersburg 9-10 year-old Softball All-Stars, the Wheelersburg 10-11 year-old Baseball All Stars, the Wheelersburg 50-70 Baseball All-Stars and the 2026 Ohio Little League State Champion Wheelersburg 11-12 Softball All-Stars each obtained district championship crowns for Porter Township over the course of the summer months.
For Wheelersburg 7-8 Baseball All-Star head coach Uriah Luster, Wheelersburg 7-8 Softball All-Star head coach Dakota Luster and Wheelersburg 7-8 Softball All-Star head coach Tate Fight, the accomplishments speak to the culture that's been built and successfully sustained from within.
"Even growing up, we always wanted to win and bring banners to the Little League," Uriah said. "Wheelersburg's always set up to win. That's one thing that we strive to do and one thing that we teach our kids. We like to win, teach the sport, and have fun, but at the end, we love to hold those banners and bring them back to Wheelersburg."
"It's a tradition to me," Dakota said. "You get taught by these great coaches — the pride is just repeating itself."
"I have never seen something like this, honestly," Fight said. "That could be because I'm just getting involved with my kids being of age to get into Little League, but that success is crazy. Everyone is super encouraging. We have the resources available for the girls who want to take it serious. To see all that come together — it starts at the 8U level, and where I'm at currently, and the potential for what they can do when they get to 10U, 12U, junior high, and the high school levels. It's pretty neat."
The Wheelersburg 9-10 Baseball All-Stars, who officially finished district and state play for Ohio Little League baseball teams in Scioto County with their finish among the final four teams in its bracket.
Of the four teams that were eligible by age to advance to the state tournament, three of them either finished as the runner-up or as the state champion between the Wheelersburg 11-12 Softball All-Stars' state championship victory and the Wheelersburg 50-70 Baseball All-Stars' and Wheelersburg 9-10 Softball All-Stars' state runner-up finishes.
The success of the 11-12 Softball All-Stars — who outscored their district and state opposition by a combined score of 65-2, didn't allow an earned run and had nine players bat over .400 while finishing with a collective team batting average of .521 between district and state competition, is well documented.
However, the remaining All-Star squads within the Wheelersburg Little League system were quite stout themselves.
The Wheelersburg 50/70 group outscored its district opposition 36-7 across four straight days and followed that up by outscoring 50-70 Little League State Tournament competitors Geneva and Canfield by a combined 31-3, while giving eventual state champion Bellevue competitive 13-7 and 7-4 ballgames en route to finishing as the eventual state runner-up. During that stretch, the 50/70s posted three mercy rule victories.
The Wheelersburg 9-10 Softball All-Stars were quite stout themselves, outscoring their district opposition 42-4 with two mercy rules, a no-hitter, two one-hitters and a two-hitter en route to reaching the state level.
"It's the amount of work that they have been putting in," Dakota said of his girls' performance. "We did a total 180 from where we were at in districts (in 2025) to where we are now."
There, the 9-10s defeated Avon, Tallmadge and Olentangy by a combined 31-2 with two more mercy rules while adding in two no-hitters and a two-hitter to reach the state finals. Wheelersburg then defeated Canfield 12-6 in the second of three matchups between the two All-Star squads, forcing an if-necessary contest that Canfield would ultimately win.
"It goes back to the support that we have," Dakota said. "The parents that volunteer their time — there's a lot more that goes into it than what you see at a game or at practice. These coaches have a lot to think about, whether it's strategy, who they're going to pitch, and who they can put in what position where. It ultimately circles back to seeing the kids and the drive that they have and the work that they put in."
In their own journey at the state level, Wheelersburg joined Avon, Canfield and New Albany in making the final four at the 9-11 Baseball All-Stars stage. They made their way to state after rallying from an earlier defeat to Rock Hill in district play (3-2) by defeating the Redmen by 2-0 and 7-2 margins to win the district crown themselves. The group, coached by Andrew Simon, then defeated North Canton at the state level by a 4-2 count.
The 7-8 Wheelersburg baseball and softball All-Stars then swept their age group proceedings en route to district titles of their own. The 7-8 Baseball All-Stars scored nine or more runs in nine out of their first 10 games in district play, including double-digit run totals in eight of their first 10 contests, to grab a district crown, while the 7-8 softball All-Stars outlasted a pesky effort by South Point to win their own title.
Both teams' elder statesmen and stateswomen will have the opportunity to compete at the state level next season at the 9-10 levels, provided that they win district in their move up.
"We have a really good group of boys," Uriah said. "They hit the ball well. What helped that was during the offseason, where they're always up at the Fox Hole, hitting. I really liked how we played defensively. Our defense has been good at limiting the damage against teams. We just had that belief that we'll make a play defensively, and from the first batter to the last batter, we believed that we were going to get a hit."
"The sky's the limit," Fight said. "How we played in that first weekend in June to the last weekend in June — it's night-and-day how much we improved in those four weeks playing together. If this group sticks with it, I don't see much that will hold them back. Baserunning and the overall competitiveness is more important ... I knew the competitiveness going into it, and I kind of figured that with it being a district tournament, it would be more competitive (than what we had seen), and that was certainly true."
With six championships in a single Little League season, it's clear that a system is in place. The Lusters are quick to credit the involvement of the adults who have long overseen the development of some of the community's brightest baseball and softball stars and young talents.
"We're extremely lucky to have someone like Jonathan Eaton who has put that facility (Fox Hole) here in our backyard," Dakota said. "It's an advantage."
"It means a lot," Uriah said. "During the winter, there aren't many places to go to around here, so to have one of our own right here in town is a great place. They've got great people here who teach the kids the right fundamentals, from the tee work to soft toss to hitting, they do it all around. It's great to see all of that work paying off and those repetitions resulting in the players being ready for the upcoming season."
Both Dakota and Uriah Luster have seen the work of the adults firsthand growing up in the Wheelersburg baseball program themselves. Dakota Luster started in the three-hole as a second baseman and pitcher for the Pirates, while Uriah played a pivotal role on the squad as well.
Both played under former Wheelersburg baseball head coach Michael Estep, who has since gone on to develop his own daughter, Ava, into an NCAA Division I softball signee and a state champion alongside that of her teammates, while also serving as a travel softball coach.
"It's an honor," Uriah Luster said. "I grew up in it — winning and going to state. Now that I get to coach my son and their group, it's just a special group of kids all around with them winning six district championships, and then having my brother (Dakota) coaching in the state championship with the 9-10 girls. It's just a real honor to be a part of it."
"The kids all work well together," Uriah said. "You wouldn't even believe that they're seven or eight years old with how in sync they are with each other — knowing their positions and what their roles are. We have outfielders that are backing up our first basemen or third basemen on all the throws. Each kid knows their role on the defense, and they take pride in knowing that role and making sure our defense is ready to go."
"You can definitely tell that they have great chemistry," Luster said. "They play well together and pick each other up when we're down."
And those qualities have Wheelersburg's youth, particularly in baseball and softball, on the up and up.
"It shows that what we are doing, as coaches, is working and it also shows what we are doing, as a town, is working,'" Uriah said. "They take pride in wearing the Orange and Black and having the Pirates or Wheelersburg across their chest, and they know by watching the high school programs, they are aware of what the goals are, and they, too, want to strive to accomplish goals of going to state and competing for and winning a state championship."
"It's an honor," Uriah said. "We're all together and we all have the same goal. To be able to watch kids that are older watching my kids grow up and wanting to achieve the same thing, and getting to experience the same things that I experience — I'm just glad to be a part of this town and just honored to be a part of what I was doing when I was a kid."
"The biggest thing is the progression that our girls have made and how far they've advanced, just from the first week of Little League play in the regular season into the All-Star season," Fight said. "Just seeing the progression of our girls is the coolest thing for me as a coach, and to see how our high school team has been performing, especially knowing that some of these girls will be there, is terrific and something that I look forward to seeing."
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However, when one Little League program wins six district championships in a single summer season, that in and of itself is quite significant.
The Wheelersburg Little League program did just that, and in turn, may have to adopt a new slogan to honor the occasion — perhaps 6 in '26, or something akin to what you could find on a Wendy's menu.
However you'd like to honor it, the Wheelersburg 7-8 year-old baseball and softball All-Stars, the Wheelersburg 9-10 year-old Softball All-Stars, the Wheelersburg 10-11 year-old Baseball All Stars, the Wheelersburg 50-70 Baseball All-Stars and the 2026 Ohio Little League State Champion Wheelersburg 11-12 Softball All-Stars each obtained district championship crowns for Porter Township over the course of the summer months.
For Wheelersburg 7-8 Baseball All-Star head coach Uriah Luster, Wheelersburg 7-8 Softball All-Star head coach Dakota Luster and Wheelersburg 7-8 Softball All-Star head coach Tate Fight, the accomplishments speak to the culture that's been built and successfully sustained from within.
"Even growing up, we always wanted to win and bring banners to the Little League," Uriah said. "Wheelersburg's always set up to win. That's one thing that we strive to do and one thing that we teach our kids. We like to win, teach the sport, and have fun, but at the end, we love to hold those banners and bring them back to Wheelersburg."
"It's a tradition to me," Dakota said. "You get taught by these great coaches — the pride is just repeating itself."
"I have never seen something like this, honestly," Fight said. "That could be because I'm just getting involved with my kids being of age to get into Little League, but that success is crazy. Everyone is super encouraging. We have the resources available for the girls who want to take it serious. To see all that come together — it starts at the 8U level, and where I'm at currently, and the potential for what they can do when they get to 10U, 12U, junior high, and the high school levels. It's pretty neat."
The Wheelersburg 9-10 Baseball All-Stars, who officially finished district and state play for Ohio Little League baseball teams in Scioto County with their finish among the final four teams in its bracket.
Of the four teams that were eligible by age to advance to the state tournament, three of them either finished as the runner-up or as the state champion between the Wheelersburg 11-12 Softball All-Stars' state championship victory and the Wheelersburg 50-70 Baseball All-Stars' and Wheelersburg 9-10 Softball All-Stars' state runner-up finishes.
The success of the 11-12 Softball All-Stars — who outscored their district and state opposition by a combined score of 65-2, didn't allow an earned run and had nine players bat over .400 while finishing with a collective team batting average of .521 between district and state competition, is well documented.
However, the remaining All-Star squads within the Wheelersburg Little League system were quite stout themselves.
The Wheelersburg 50/70 group outscored its district opposition 36-7 across four straight days and followed that up by outscoring 50-70 Little League State Tournament competitors Geneva and Canfield by a combined 31-3, while giving eventual state champion Bellevue competitive 13-7 and 7-4 ballgames en route to finishing as the eventual state runner-up. During that stretch, the 50/70s posted three mercy rule victories.
The Wheelersburg 9-10 Softball All-Stars were quite stout themselves, outscoring their district opposition 42-4 with two mercy rules, a no-hitter, two one-hitters and a two-hitter en route to reaching the state level.
"It's the amount of work that they have been putting in," Dakota said of his girls' performance. "We did a total 180 from where we were at in districts (in 2025) to where we are now."
There, the 9-10s defeated Avon, Tallmadge and Olentangy by a combined 31-2 with two more mercy rules while adding in two no-hitters and a two-hitter to reach the state finals. Wheelersburg then defeated Canfield 12-6 in the second of three matchups between the two All-Star squads, forcing an if-necessary contest that Canfield would ultimately win.
"It goes back to the support that we have," Dakota said. "The parents that volunteer their time — there's a lot more that goes into it than what you see at a game or at practice. These coaches have a lot to think about, whether it's strategy, who they're going to pitch, and who they can put in what position where. It ultimately circles back to seeing the kids and the drive that they have and the work that they put in."
In their own journey at the state level, Wheelersburg joined Avon, Canfield and New Albany in making the final four at the 9-11 Baseball All-Stars stage. They made their way to state after rallying from an earlier defeat to Rock Hill in district play (3-2) by defeating the Redmen by 2-0 and 7-2 margins to win the district crown themselves. The group, coached by Andrew Simon, then defeated North Canton at the state level by a 4-2 count.
The 7-8 Wheelersburg baseball and softball All-Stars then swept their age group proceedings en route to district titles of their own. The 7-8 Baseball All-Stars scored nine or more runs in nine out of their first 10 games in district play, including double-digit run totals in eight of their first 10 contests, to grab a district crown, while the 7-8 softball All-Stars outlasted a pesky effort by South Point to win their own title.
Both teams' elder statesmen and stateswomen will have the opportunity to compete at the state level next season at the 9-10 levels, provided that they win district in their move up.
"We have a really good group of boys," Uriah said. "They hit the ball well. What helped that was during the offseason, where they're always up at the Fox Hole, hitting. I really liked how we played defensively. Our defense has been good at limiting the damage against teams. We just had that belief that we'll make a play defensively, and from the first batter to the last batter, we believed that we were going to get a hit."
"The sky's the limit," Fight said. "How we played in that first weekend in June to the last weekend in June — it's night-and-day how much we improved in those four weeks playing together. If this group sticks with it, I don't see much that will hold them back. Baserunning and the overall competitiveness is more important ... I knew the competitiveness going into it, and I kind of figured that with it being a district tournament, it would be more competitive (than what we had seen), and that was certainly true."
With six championships in a single Little League season, it's clear that a system is in place. The Lusters are quick to credit the involvement of the adults who have long overseen the development of some of the community's brightest baseball and softball stars and young talents.
"We're extremely lucky to have someone like Jonathan Eaton who has put that facility (Fox Hole) here in our backyard," Dakota said. "It's an advantage."
"It means a lot," Uriah said. "During the winter, there aren't many places to go to around here, so to have one of our own right here in town is a great place. They've got great people here who teach the kids the right fundamentals, from the tee work to soft toss to hitting, they do it all around. It's great to see all of that work paying off and those repetitions resulting in the players being ready for the upcoming season."
Both Dakota and Uriah Luster have seen the work of the adults firsthand growing up in the Wheelersburg baseball program themselves. Dakota Luster started in the three-hole as a second baseman and pitcher for the Pirates, while Uriah played a pivotal role on the squad as well.
Both played under former Wheelersburg baseball head coach Michael Estep, who has since gone on to develop his own daughter, Ava, into an NCAA Division I softball signee and a state champion alongside that of her teammates, while also serving as a travel softball coach.
"It's an honor," Uriah Luster said. "I grew up in it — winning and going to state. Now that I get to coach my son and their group, it's just a special group of kids all around with them winning six district championships, and then having my brother (Dakota) coaching in the state championship with the 9-10 girls. It's just a real honor to be a part of it."
"The kids all work well together," Uriah said. "You wouldn't even believe that they're seven or eight years old with how in sync they are with each other — knowing their positions and what their roles are. We have outfielders that are backing up our first basemen or third basemen on all the throws. Each kid knows their role on the defense, and they take pride in knowing that role and making sure our defense is ready to go."
"You can definitely tell that they have great chemistry," Luster said. "They play well together and pick each other up when we're down."
And those qualities have Wheelersburg's youth, particularly in baseball and softball, on the up and up.
"It shows that what we are doing, as coaches, is working and it also shows what we are doing, as a town, is working,'" Uriah said. "They take pride in wearing the Orange and Black and having the Pirates or Wheelersburg across their chest, and they know by watching the high school programs, they are aware of what the goals are, and they, too, want to strive to accomplish goals of going to state and competing for and winning a state championship."
"It's an honor," Uriah said. "We're all together and we all have the same goal. To be able to watch kids that are older watching my kids grow up and wanting to achieve the same thing, and getting to experience the same things that I experience — I'm just glad to be a part of this town and just honored to be a part of what I was doing when I was a kid."
"The biggest thing is the progression that our girls have made and how far they've advanced, just from the first week of Little League play in the regular season into the All-Star season," Fight said. "Just seeing the progression of our girls is the coolest thing for me as a coach, and to see how our high school team has been performing, especially knowing that some of these girls will be there, is terrific and something that I look forward to seeing."
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