Texas Judge Rules on Tulsa National Little League Temporary Restraining Order
Judge Ryan Luna of the 414th District Court filed a motion to dissolve a temporary restraining order filed by Tulsa National Little League against Little League late Tuesday afternoon, Softball On SI confirmed with the district clerk's office.
However, the case is still active.
"We appreciate the Court’s timely and considered decision to vacate the Temporary Restraining Order, allowing enforcement of the Tournament Committee’s decision to remove Tulsa National Little League from the Southwest Region Tournament and declare its previous game a forfeit," Little League released in a statement. "The decision upholds our commitment to a fair and equitable experience for all children based on our Official Rules, Regulations, and Operating Policies.
"We empathize with the children of Tulsa National Little League and the likely disappointment this decision has caused. We recognize how memorable the Little League experience is for all children and the critical role that parents and adult volunteers are entrusted with to ensure that every child is cared for, treated fairly, and afforded a safe and positive experience. We sincerely hope that those entrusted with operating the Little League program recognize the responsibility they bear toward the children in their care and act accordingly—with integrity, fairness, respect, and a commitment to the mission of the Little League program."
An update regarding the LLB Southwest Region Tournament pic.twitter.com/y1VZwxVb5A
— Little League (@LittleLeague) August 11, 2026
Little League International filed an emergency motion seeking to dissolve the temporary restraining order that Tulsa National Little League was granted to play in the championship game of the Southwest Region Tournament early Tuesday afternoon.
The Tulsa National Major baseball team was disqualified from the Southwest Region Tournament on Monday after Little League determined an ineligible player was used during the International Tournament.
The result, Texas West defeated Louisiana 4-1 in the championship game on Monday night.
Here are four of the five pages from the court document detailing the Temporary Restraining Order granted to Tulsa National in its dispute with Little League.
— Maren Angus (@Maren_Angus) August 11, 2026
The court found that Tulsa National faced probable, imminent and irreparable harm if it was excluded from the Southwest… https://t.co/wFixpuT5nn pic.twitter.com/nYbKV4DrHL
The player in question participated in the Oklahoma State Tournament but did not travel with the team to Waco, Texas, to play in the region competition.
Little League rules took center stage in the courtroom, both in person and on Zoom.
"When one team follows the rules and another team conceals material eligibility information until the last possible moment, the Courts should not substitute its feelings of sympathy for the team that violated the rules and go against Texas’s long-standing doctrine of judicial non-intervention with the affairs of a self-governing association," Little League International wrote in its emergency motion filed Aug. 11.
Both sides joined via Zoom. Tulsa National's attorney, Christian Dennie, joined from the driver's seat of his vehicle and Little League representation joined from its offices in Williamsport, Pa.
Dennie argued that Tulsa National should be allowed to play in the Southwest Region championship game because the ineligible player is no longer with the team.
Little League responded by stating that the player participated in the state tournament and Oklahoma's District Administrator Mindy Abbott provided a statement explaining that the player was ineligible.
Softball On SI obtained a copy of Abbott's email, where she said Little League rules have been handled inconsistently and overlooked.
The ineligible player was initially ruled eligible because of Sibling Participation Regulation II(a)(1), which permits siblings ages seven and under to participate in Little League and gives their older siblings eligibility in the league in which they play. The problem with this specific situation is that the younger sibling was registered for the Challenger division and is 10 years old.
"Most importantly, at the time of the state tournament, the player had been deemed eligible based on written communication from the regional office," Abbott wrote. "I relied upon the guidance and eligibility determination provided by the regional office administering the tournament. The parent's incorrect entry of the sibling's date of birth was not discovered until after the state tournament had already been completed."
Tl;dr: Tulsa recruited out-of-region players by having their younger siblings play for Tulsa's Challenger Division.
— Adam Schwager (@schwagerTV) August 11, 2026
However, @LittleLeague says one sibling:
1) Had the wrong listed birthdate by three years
2) Never actually participated in the Challenger Division pic.twitter.com/R4SDHtQ2jT
"I respectfully request that the tournament committee reviews the situation based upon what was known at the time of the state tournament, the written eligibility guidance provided by the office, the actual requirements of Rule II in the Challenger rulebook and corrective action taken once the date of birth discrepancy was discovered," Abbott continued. "If a rule was violated, I'm simply asking Little League to identify that rule and apply it with the same consistency and fairness that should have applied to every compliance issue at the state tournament."
The Challenger division of Little League is an adaptive baseball program for individuals with physical and intellectual challenges. However, according to the Little League website, " any individual with a physical or intellectual challenge may participate. If an individual can participate in the traditional Little League Baseball or Softball program with reasonable accommodations they should do so."
Timeline of Baseball Protests at the Little League Southwest Region Tournament
In total, four protests were filed. Three were denied.
The first protest was filed by Washington County Little League (Okla.) on July 22.
The second protest was filed by Boerne Little League on July 24, and the thired was filed by Lamar Little League on Aug. 8.
The fourth protest filed by three teams at the Southwest Region Tournament was filed on Sunday, Aug. 9.
All four protests claimed similar allegations. The biggest difference was in the fourth and final protest, the sibling rule was brought to light.
Below is the redacted protest filed by three Southwest Region Tournament participants provided to Softball On SI.
What Happened with Tulsa National Softball?
Three weeks ago, the Tulsa National softball team was disqualified from the Southwest Region Tournament in a similar fashion.
The softball team was removed from competition when the Little League International Tournament Committee “determined that the adult volunteers and parents did not provide sufficient documentation to verify that all players are eligible to participate in the International Tournament based on either their school enrollment or bona fide habitation within the league’s official boundaries.”
The softball team reached the semifinals of the Little League World Series in 2025.
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Maren Angus was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.