Two Idaho youth baseball teams chase history at Cal Ripken World Series
The Meridian Youth Baseball 10U All-Star team has been waiting more than a year for this opportunity.
After winning the Cal Ripken Pacific Northwest Regional Championship last summer as 9-year-olds, the Meridian team was granted an automatic berth in the 2019 Cal Ripken 10U World Series in Phenix City, Alabama.
“They’re excited beyond belief,” said Meridian 10U coach Justin Schneidt, whose team has won back-to-back state titles and enters the World Series with a record of 30-4-2.
Meridian’s 12U squad punched its ticket to the Cal Ripken Major/70 World Series last week by winning the Pacific Northwest Regional Championship. Meridian defeated Kennewick (Wash.) 5-4 in extra innings, plating the game-winning run thanks to a Kennewick fielding error in the bottom of the eighth. The team has compiled a 33-4-1 record this summer.
No Idaho team has ever won a Cal Ripken World Series title, according to BabeRuthLeague.org.
Meridian 10U All-Stars
What: 2019 Cal Ripken Baseball 10-year-old World Series
Where: Idle Hour Sports Complex, Phenix City, Alabama
When: Aug. 1-8
Pool play: Meridian is in Pool C with teams from New England, Alabama and Virginia.
Game schedule: vs. New England, 4:30 p.m. MT, Aug. 1; vs. Rockville, Virginia, 4:30 p.m. MT, Aug. 2; vs. Alabama, 4:30 p.m. MT, Aug. 3. Following pool play, all 16 teams will be seeded in a championship-style bracket to determine the World Series champion. Bracket play begins Aug. 4.
How to help: The Meridian 10U team has a GoFundMe page.
How to watch: Games will be streamed live on CTV Beam 7’s YouTube channel.
Meridian 12U All-Stars
What: 2019 Cal Ripken Baseball Major/70 World Series
Where: Ballparks of America, Branson, Missouri
When: Aug. 2-10
Pool play: Meridian is in Pool C with teams from Alabama, Kentucky, Massachusetts and the Midwest Plains.
Game schedule: vs. Kentucky, 2 p.m. MT, Aug. 2; vs. Alabama, 3:30 p.m. MT, Aug. 3; vs. Massachusetts, 3:30 p.m. MT, Aug. 4; vs. Midwest Plains, 8 a.m. MT, Aug. 6. Following pool play, teams will be seeded into either the World Series or Iron bracket based on records. Bracket play begins Aug. 7.
How to help: The Meridian 12U team has a GoFundMe page.
How to watch: Games will be streamed live online at WatchStadium.com/Live.
This story was originally published July 23, 2019 at 1:24 PM.
