Lynn’s three Babe Ruth All-Star teams, one for each age division from 13- to 14-years-old, will swing into action tonight for the first game of the District 1 tournament.
All three age groups will go on to the Babe Ruth World Series later this summer. The last Lynn team from any of those three age groups to go was the 15-year-old team, managed by Leon Elwell, in 2016.
Elwell will be back this summer, and again he will be managing the 15-year-old team. Last year, as 14s, the Lynn boys made the state final, narrowly losing the game by one run to Maplewood.
Elwell is assisted once again by coaches Rich Avery, Bob Gratiano and Kyle Candeleri.
“It’s their last year and they are fired up and committed to finish some unfinished business,” said Lynn Babe Ruth president Jeff Earp.
The team opens at Fraser Field tonight (8) against Peabody.
The 14s are away at Seaside Park against Marblehead at 5:45. They return a team that made a deep run in the semifinals last year as 13s. Manager John Peterson is back, as well as coaches Ted Mercado, Dan Lilja and Pet Whelan.
“The team is loaded with speed and smarts,” Earp said. “Expectations are high.”
The 13-year-old Prep League team plays at Somerville at Trum Field (5:30). The team had a successful first year on the big diamond, Earp said. It is led by Sam Oh’nessian and coaches Joe Driscoll, Mark Cahill and Buddy Riley.
