State baseball tournament in town next week
Staff writer
Peabody’s Senior Babe Ruth baseball team will host the state championship tournament for 11-year-olds from July 16 to 19.
“Teams from all over the state will be in Peabody for the games,” said Jonathan Richstatter, president of Peabody Senior Babe Ruth Baseball. “We do put on a great tournament.”
Check-in for the teams will begin at 1 p.m. July 16, followed by a coaches meeting and players and coaches picnic.
At 7 p.m., activities such as players’ skills competition, opening ceremonies, a coaches’ scrimmage, and fireworks display will be open to the public at no charge. Fireworks will begin after dark and include ground displays as well as aerial shots fired between them.
Pool play games one through six will be July 17 from 10 a.m. to after an 8 p.m. game featuring the Peabody team.
Games seven through 12, also pool play, will begin at 10 a.m. July 18 with the Peabody team playing at noon. Peabody will again be featured in the 8 p.m. nightcap game.
July 19 will see four teams begin bracket play at noon for games 13 through 16. The teams will be those with the best records from pool play. A one-hour break is scheduled after the first two games.
“We have invited sponsors and city officials to attend and throw out the first pitch of any game they choose,” Richstatter said. “They get to keep the signed ball as a souvenir of their support for the tournament.
“We’d like to see local residents come out as well and welcome the visiting teams to the community,” he said. “If you like watching young people compete, this will be a great event.”