SIKESTON BASEBALL TEAM WINS REGIONAL TOURNEY

SIKESTON -- For the second year in a row, a youth baseball team from Sikeston has proven to be one of the nation's top squads for its age group.

The Sikeston 13-year-old All-Stars won the championship in the recent Junior Babe Ruth Midwest Plains Regional Tournament held in Colorado.

By virtue of that title, the Sikeston All-Stars qualified for the Junior Babe Ruth World Series, to begin Saturday at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

Just last season, a team from Sikeston -- with nearly the exact same lineup -- qualified for the 11-12-year-old Bambino World Series.

"It feels great to get back," said Sikeston head coach Mike DeWitt. "We just put the kids on the field in the places they'll help the team. It's a great accomplishment for these kids and (the coaches) are glad to take them back (to the World Series)."

In the regional tournament, Sikeston cruised through the winner's bracket only to fall in the championship round 10-0 to Brooklyn Park (Minn.), which Sikeston had defeated earlier in the winner's bracket finals.

But Sikeston came back and defeated Brooklyn Park 6-1 in the final game to claim the title.

Members of the Sikeston squad are Ben Pyles, Lee Wilson, Richard Landers, Michael LaPlant, Lance Rhodes, Bradley Deere, Jason Deere, Stephon Miller, Blake DeWitt, Jacob Priday, Danny Farmer, Scott Elsey, Michael Dement and Scotty Keenan.

Mike DeWitt is assisted by coaches Ron Priday and Alan Keenan.