Texas West is headed to the Little League World Series after a judge threw out a temporary restraining order giving a disqualified Tulsa National Little League team a chance to get back into the tournament, according to new court documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

The decision Tuesday, Aug. 11, means Texas West does not have to play Tulsa National, as previously ordered by the court, to determine the team that would represent the Southwest Region at the Little League World Series. The Little League World Series is Aug. 19-30 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

“The decision upholds our commitment to a fair and equitable experience for all children based on our Official Rules, Regulations, and Operating Policies,” Little League International said in a statement after the ruling by McClellan County (Texas) Judge Ryan Luna.

“We empathize with the children of Tulsa National Little League and the likely disappointment this decision has caused,” Little League’s statement said. “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.

The ruling brings to an end a chaotic series of events that began Monday, Aug. 10, with Tulsa being disqualified over the ineligibility of one of its players. Parents of players on the Tulsa team successfully petitioned for a restraining order that returned Tulsa to the tournament the evening of Aug. 10 but, by that time, West Texas had beaten a Louisiana team to earn the Southwest Region berth at the Little League World Series.

Little League International then filed an emergency motion on Aug. 11 to block Tulsa’s re-entry into the tournament, presenting additional context to its disqualification decision in a 330-page filing.

“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.

After Luna’s ruling, West Texas coach Greg Yost described the last 24 hours as an “emotional roller coaster” for his team. He said his players went from celebrating being crowned Southwest Regional champions on Aug. 10 to worrying about the consequences of Tulsa’s fight to be let back into the tournament.

Yost said most of his team had already left Waco by Tuesday afternoon, when he attended the hearing before Luna that ultimately dissolved the temporary restraining order.

“I’m just happy that it worked out, because our kids worked so hard and they deserve it,” Yost said.

How player disqualification shook Southeast Regional

The Tulsa team was disqualified Aug. 10 from the Southwest Region tournament in Waco, Texas, when it was discovered it previously fielded a player who did not meet eligibility requirements, according to Little League International. The player in question did not play in the Southwest Region tournament but had played in the Oklahoma State Tournament, which helped qualify Tulsa for the Little League regionals.

Little League’s original decision to disqualify Tulsa reshuffled the regional tournament bracket, resulting in Texas West defeating Louisiana 4-1 on Aug. 10 in what was changed from an elimination semifinal to the region’s title game.

But later on Aug. 10, the Tulsa team filed for and was granted a temporary restraining order by the 414th Judicial District in McLennan County, Texas, with the judge ordering Little League International to allow it to compete for the regional championship on Aug. 11, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

On Aug. 11, mere hours before Tulsa was to play a rescheduled Southeast Regional championship game against Texas West at 7 p.m. ET as ordered by the court, Little League International filed an emergency motion saying that compliance with the restraining order was “impossible.”

The Texas West team from Boerne, Texas, as well as broadcast crews, staff, media and volunteers had begun to depart Waco on Aug. 10 before the judge granted the restraining order, Little League International said in its court filing.

“The young players from Texas West (Boerne) have already been briefed on the next stage of their tournament journey and are due in Williamsport, Pennsylvania this Friday, August 14, 2026,” the motion said. “Their parents and coaches already made travel arrangements. The Texas players have already been crowned Southwest Region Champions. The TRO seeks to take this deserved victory away from the Texas team’s young players and to give another chance to the Tulsa National team, who broke LLB’s rules, concealed player eligibility, and then sought this Court’s ex parte assistance to force their way back into the tournament.”

Judge Luna ruled in agreement late in the afternoon of Aug. 11.

How did the Tulsa Little League controversy begin?

According to a court complaint obtained by USA TODAY Sports, a Tulsa player identified as “O.G.” lived outside Tulsa National’s geographic boundaries but was deemed eligible to play under an existing rule because his sibling participated in the team’s adaptive baseball program.

However, according to the complaint, after O.G. played in the Oklahoma state tournament, it was discovered that O.G.’s father entered the wrong birth year when registering O.G.’s sibling for the adaptive program. It also said O.G.’s sibling didn’t play enough games to keep him eligible.

O.G.’s parents immediately removed him from the team but two other teams competing in the Southwest Regional — Texas East and Louisiana — filed protests against Tulsa’s participation with Little League.

After Little League disqualified Tulsa, parents of players filed their court petition, asking the judge to grant a temporary restraining order and injunctive relief to allow Tulsa to compete. The temporary restraining order explains that after reviewing the plaintiffs’ supporting declarations, exhibits, and evidence, the court found that Tulsa presented a strong case supporting its eligibility.

Daniel Velte, Little League’s vice president of operations, international tournament director and chairman of the charter/rules committee, said in a declaration with his organization’s motion to throw out the restraining order that O.G.’s eligibility to play for Tulsa National was based on the sibling open-enrollment provision. The provision, Velte states, allows a player who does not reside within a league’s boundaries or attend school within the boundaries to participate if a sibling of league age 7 or younger is an “active participant” who played the complete season in the league’s Challenger Division program.

However, Velte says, O.G’s father confirmed to him Sunday, Aug., 9, that the sibling is actually 10 years old. Velte also says O.G.’s father admitted O.G.’s sister never participated in any practice or game.

Velte also cited the Little League Baseball rulebook, which “provides that if any point during the tournament a team uses an ineligible player, the entire team is disqualified from the tournament.”

What happens next after the Tulsa Little League controversy?

Bourne is the Southwest Regional champion, and will compete in the Little League World Series, which begins Aug. 19 in South Williamsport.

Prior to the judge’s final ruling, the rescheduled game between Texas West and Oklahoma remained on Little League International’s Southwest Region Tournament website on Tuesday, Aug. 11, but was removed sometime after 3:45 p.m. ET.

It was unclear whether the Texas West team would even be able to attend the game if held, since Little League International asserted in its legal motion that, “Four (Bourne) families had already departed from Waco, leaving the team without enough players to field a team.”

Velte said Little League cannot compel the team to “return or participate in the August 11 game ordered by the Court to be put back on.”

The Boerne team is not a party in the lawsuit.

Little League International also said the legal squabble put the organization in an “untenable position where it cannot practically accommodate two putative Southwest Region champions and therefore a 21st team at the Little League World Series International Tournament.”

Contributing: Elizabeth Flores, Kristie Ackert