Growing Babe Ruth state tourney may prove grueling

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What started out as a handful of teams competing in the Senior Babe Ruth state tournament has turned into a strenuous challenge for teams in Missouri.

"It's really crazy considering when we started it there was four or five, and it kind of has just taken off," said Charleston Fighting Squirrels coach Michael Minner, whose program celebrated its 10-year anniversary this season. "This area has become a Babe Ruth baseball area."

The tournament, which will be hosted by Minner's team at Hillhouse Park in Charleston, Missouri, beginning today consists of 14 teams and will be played in a double-elimination format. That means it will take as much as many as 27 games to determine a state champion, which necessitated moving three tournament games to the field at Notre Dame High School in Cape Girardeau.

Games will begin today with the Riverbend Ducks facing the SEMO Pirates, a team based out of Leopold, at 10 a.m. at Hillhouse. The first championship game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday with another game, if necessary, to be played at 8 p.m.

The winner of the tournament advances to the Midwest Plains Regional in Dickinson, North Dakota.

"This is going to be the toughest one that we've seen since I've been in Babe Ruth baseball," Minner said. "Anytime you bring 14 teams in -- and there's probably 10 teams that can win it -- there's going to be some great pitching matchups, some great baseball going on all weekend.

"Unfortunately, sometimes in an eight-team state tournament you lose and you've got the pitching to get out of the loser's bracket, but if you lose one of the first two games you're going to have to go 8-1 to win the thing, come back and win a lot of baseball games in the loser's bracket. It's a tough setup, and whoever wins this thing has played good baseball for six days."

There will be four other first-round games at Hillhouse today, including a noon contest between the SEMO Strokers, based in Advance, and Poplar Bluff. Jackson will play Potosi Elks at 5:30 p.m. at Notre Dame.

The Leadville Pirates and Boonville drew first-round byes.

The Fighting Squirrels have won the tournament six of the last seven years. The Squirrels romped to the title in last season's 10-team tournament, enacting the run-rule in all of their victories, including a 14-4 defeat of Boonville in the championship game. They outscored opponents by a combined score of 61-6.

But, as Minner acknowledged, the competition is expected to be more stout this year.

"You've got several teams that have won this, several teams that have been really good at the Junior Babe level," SEMO Pirates coach Jeremy McCain said. "Any time it's 14 teams, double elimination, it's tough. It comes down to pitching and who's got the most for the longest amount of time."

The Pirates were built with many players left without a team after the highly successful Dunklin County Senior American Legion team folded. One of the key differences between Legion and Babe Ruth baseball is no residential restrictions are placed on players.

"Our best asset right now is our pitching, so that's one thing we do have going for us," McCain said. "You know, we've got a few guys hurt, I'm missing a couple guys, but as far as our pitching, we're healthy and ready to go."

Admission is $7 a day or $20 for a weekend pass to the tournament. There will be state tournament T-shirts for sale at the ballpark for $15.

"We'd love to see a good crowd all weekend," Minner said. "It's going to be great baseball, great weather and playing baseball on a great field. It should be exciting."