WESTFIELD – After several months of planning, countless tournaments, crowned regional champions, and the last-second addition of two more state representatives, a crowded field of 12 tournament teams will begin the final leg in their march toward a World Series crown in the Babe Ruth Baseball 14-Year-Old World Series, beginning next week at Bullens Field (and Westfield State).
A total of 12 teams will be divided evenly among two divisions for pool play – dubbed “American” and “National”.
Host team Westfield will reside in the American Division, alongside Midwest Plains champion Bismarck (North Dakota), Ohio Valley champ Janesville (Wisconsin), Pacific Northwest champ West Linn (Oregon), Southwest champ Mountain Home (Arkansas), and Maine state representative Portland.
The National Division will be comprised of Middle Atlantic champ Atlantic Shores (New Jersey), New England champ Tri-County (Maine), Pacific Southwest champ Tri-Valley (California), Southeast champ Sarasota (Florida), Western Massachusetts state champ Pittsfield, and Eastern Massachusetts state representative Arlington.
Each team will play every team in their division once over a five-day period, beginning Thursday, August 11.
Five games will be played daily at Bullens Field, with an additional game held at Westfield State University every day at noon as well.
A skills competition featuring a home run derby will kick off the World Series festivities Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.
Pool play games will get under way Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Later that night, everyone will convene for the Opening Ceremonies at 6:15 p.m., followed by Westfield vs. Portland (ME) at 7.
The top three teams from each division, based on record, will advance to a single-elimination playoff format, which will be played August 16-17 before crowning a champion in the title game Thursday, August 18.
Note: Volunteers are still needed to help out with World Series related tasks. Anyone wishing to donate their time or services for a great cause is encouraged to sign-up. For more info, visit the Babe Ruth Baseball 14-Year-Old World Series online at www.westfieldworldseries.com.
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Stay up-to-date with breaking news, game results, and photos from the Babe Ruth Baseball 14 Year-Old World Series by visiting the Westfield News at thewestfieldnews.com. Make sure to visit our Facebook page for highlights and videos of every game.
