Little League state tourney set for ML

Holliday Field in Medical Lake will be hopping with activity next week.

The home of Cardinal and American Legion baseball will now also be the site of the Washington Little League “Juniors” state tournament for eight days from July 15 through 22. Juniors Little League comprises players ages 12 - 14 years old. 

Ten teams from across the state’s 13 districts will convene in the community with play to decide what state all-star team moves on to regional play in California. From there the goal is to reach the Juniors World Series in Taylor, Michigan.

Hosting the tournament comes as the West Plains Little League celebrates its 20th anniversary and while being an honor, it is a big job for the all-volunteer army that makes up the organization.

“Hosting a tournament of this size is a big job, and also a great opportunity for West Plains Little League and the local communities,” President Stacy Ashcroft wrote in a letter to the community. “We are looking for local businesses who might like to provide financial support for the tournament.”

Expenses include buying baseballs, field chalk and conditioner, field decorations, medals, plaques, pins and more, Ashcroft noted.

To help with those costs the event will publish a program with businesses offered advertisements at $200 each. The organization is also looking for sponsor donations for giveaways.

“We would love to have a ‘Player of the Game’ named after a local sponsor,” with some sort of item presented, Ashcroft added.

The opportunity to host state tournaments of all levels is presented to districts on a rotating basis, Ashcroft said. District 13 was scheduled to host Juniors and could turn down or commit to hosting.

Despite all that is involved, no was not going to be the answer, however.

“Hosting a Little League state tournament is a great opportunity to make an economic impact on our communities and be a part of creating an amazing experience for Little League players,” Ashcroft said.  

Among the volunteers are umpires from across the state will. But the need for help goes well beyond that.

“We are in need of volunteers to help with announcing, scorekeeping, general crowd management and field prep,” Ashcroft said.

A link to volunteer can be found on the WPLL website by visiting http://www.westplainslittleleague.com.

BOX:

For information on how to help contact:

Stacy Ashcroft

[email protected]

509-294-5341