Mo'ne Davis SPORTS PROFILE courtesy of TBT News MO'NE DAVIS Takes World By Storm Correspondent: MG Media Mo'ne Ikea Davis is a female Little League baseball pitcher from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was one of two girls in the 2014 Little League World Series and is the first girl to earn a win and to pitch a shutout in Little League World Series history. She is the 18th girl overall to play, the sixth to get a hit, and the fourth American girl to play in the Little League World Series. She is also the first Little League baseball player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a Little League player. In 2008, Steve Bandura observed Davis playing football with her cousins and older brother. He noticed that "she was throwing this football in perfect spirals, effortless and running these tough kids down and tackling them. Bandura, who is program director for Marian Anderson Recreation Center in South Philadelphia, asked her if she would like to come to a basketball practice. When she came to practice, Bandura asked her to watch the practice, but she wanted to participate. Bandura told The Philadelphia Tribune that "Her eyes were just glued on the drill and, when it came time for her turn, she went through it like she has been doing it a thousand times. I just knew right then." Davis became Bandura's best basketball player and the only girl on the team. She also began playing and excelling at baseball and soccer. Davis is the daughter of Lamar Davis and Lakeisha McLean. She has lived with her mother and stepfather, Mark Williams, since the age of six. Her mother, Lakeisha admit that she was unaware that her daughter was so athletic. In 2011, she was a point guard in basketball, a pitcher, shortstop, and third baseman in baseball, and mid-fielder for soccer. Davis throws a 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) fastball. On August 10, 2014, Davis pitched a three-hit 8–0 shutout over Newark National Little League of Delaware to get into the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Little League World Series. On August 15, 2014, Davis was the first girl in Little League World Series history to pitch a winning game and she was also the first girl to pitch a shutout in Little League postseason history. She led her team to a 4–0 victory over Nashville. After the game, Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett predicted that some day she would play in professional baseball. After pitching the first shutout in postseason Little League history, she received congratulatory Twitter messages from Mike Trout, Marcus Stroman, Kevin Durant, and requests for interviews by television hosts such as Jimmy Fallon. Rachel Maddow said that Davis was the "best new thing in the world". She also was praised by Ellen DeGeneres, Billie Jean King, and Michelle Obama. Davis told ESPN "I never thought at the age of 13 I'd be a role model. I always wanted to be a role model, but being a baseball role model is really cool."