Louis Lappe, who vaulted into the national spotlight with his walk-off home run for El Segundo during the 2023 Little League World Series, has made his high school choice. He’s headed to Harvard-Westlake, where he’ll be part of the class of 2029.
“It’s official,” said Lappe’s father, Ted. “We can’t wait.”
He’ll enter his freshman year as one of the most highly touted baseball players in the nation. He has grown to 6-foot-3 and plays third base and pitches. The younger Lappe said he also might try to play soccer in his first year of high school.
He just returned from a tournament in Houston, where he hit .667 and his fastball reached 86 mph.
Lappe was 12 years old when he and his El Segundo teammates gained national fame after his walk-off home run in the World Series final. Now the players are reaching high school age.
Harvard-Westlake coach Jared Halpert said he received a phone call Sunday morning from Ted Lappe telling him Louis had been accepted and would enroll.
“I didn’t scream, but I definitely fist pumped,” Halpert said. “We are thrilled. He’s going to be a major contributor to Harvard-Westlake and the community.”
Lappe was also considering Harvard-Westlake rival Loyola, which will be getting Brody Brooks, Max Keldorf, Quinn Boehle and Finley Green from the El Segundo Little League team.
Harvard-Westlake has been on fire in producing top baseball players, with pitchers Max Fried, Lucas Giolito and Jack Flaherty and outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong among the alumni in the majors.
