Looking for an early favorite to win this year’s Senior League World Series?

Consider last year’s runner-up, Pearl City, Hawaii, which has earned a return trip to the world baseball championships for 15- and 16-year-olds that begin with opening ceremonies Saturday night at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor.

Pearl City advanced by defeating Mt. View Little League of Scottsdale, Ariz., 2-0 in the U.S. West title game at Salem, Ore., on Tuesday night, joining the U.S. South champion York County Little League of Yorktown, Va., and U.S. Southwest winner Tulsa National/John Hess Little League of Tulsa, Okla., as the latest qualifiers for the SLWS.

The Virginia team defeated Cartersville, Ga., 7-0 on Tuesday night to win its regional, while the Oklahoma team topped Pearland, Texas, 7-3 on Wednesday afternoon in the U.S. Southwest final.

The 10-team SLWS field will be completed Thursday when the Canadian champion and the U.S. East and Central representatives are crowned. Semifinals in the East and Central are being played Wednesday, while Thursday night’s Canadian final at Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, will pit Prairies representative Regina National Little League of Regina, Saskatchewan, against Atlantic winner Glace Bay #1 Little League of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.

The two Canadian finalists were the top two seeds after round robin play in the six-team regional, but the Saskatchewan team defeated the Nova Scotia team 5-0 in a semifinal Tuesday to earn a berth in the title game. Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, bounced back with an 8-3 victory over Whalley Little League of Surrey, British Columbia, on Wednesday to earn its rematch against Regina, Saskatchewan.

Pearl City, Hawaii, finished 6-0 in its 11-team regional, including an 11-1 victory over the Boulder Arrowhead Little League of Billings, Mont., in the semifinals after winning all four of its games in pool play.

According to the Honolulu Advertiser, the Hawaiian team returns eight players from the team that went undefeated throughout the summer until the SLWS championship game before falling to Urbandale, Iowa, 7-2.

In addition, Pearl City has five players up from its team that lost to the East Lake Little League of Tarpon Springs, Fla., 7-6, in the U.S. final of the 2005 Junior League (ages 13-14) World Series at Taylor, Mich.

The younger contingent includes pitcher Bryson Nakamura, who pitched a complete-game three-hitter with three strikeouts and no walks in this year’s U.S. West final.

Like Pearl City, Yorktown, Va., also went undefeated in winning the U.S. South regional and becoming the first Virginia team to advance to the SLWS since the Central Chesterfield Little League of Chesterfield, Va., placed second in 2003.

Yorktown went 3-0 in pool play at this year’s eight-team South regional, then defeated Dade City, Fla. – a 2004 SLWS semifinalist – 9-4 in the semifinals besting the Georgia champs in the final.

The advancement of the Virginia and Hawaii teams leaves just the Canadian champ to be determined to fill out the five-team Pool A for this year’s SLWS.

Maine District 3 champion Bangor, the host team, will open Pool A play against Canada at noon Sunday in the first game of the series, which is being hosted by Bangor for the fifth year.

Bangor, Pearl City, Yorktown and Canada will be joined by Asia Pacific champion Illam Central Little League of Makati City, Philippines, in Pool A. Bangor’s other pool games will be against Makati City, Philippines, at 5 p.m. Monday; Yorktown, Va., at 5 p.m. Wednesday; and Pearl City, Hawaii, at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Pool B teams already in the field are U.S. Southwest champion Tulsa, Okla., Europe-Middle East-Africa champion Waterloo Little League of Brussels, Belgium; and Latin America champion Paraguana Little League of Falcon, Venezuela. They will be joined by the U.S. East and Central representatives.

The Asia Pacific champions are scheduled to arrive in Bangor late Wednesday night, according to tournament director Mike Brooker, while the Brussels, Belgium, contingent is slated to arrive Thursday. The Falcon, Venezuela, and Pearl City, Hawaii, teams are expected to reach Maine by Friday, with the remainder of the field set for Saturday arrivals.