The Lynn Babe Ruth 15-year-old All-Star team cleared the first hurdle in their participation in the New England Regional tournament Thursday.
The boys made it up to Keene, N.H., site of the tournament.
“They arrived,” said league president Jeff Earp. “It poured all afternoon, but the field is tarped. The kids made a visit there today, but they could not work out or anything.”
Once the team had its walkthrough, it went back to the hotel, where the players did what most 15-year-olds do when they’re on the road.
“They had a pizza party, with just the team and the coaches,” said Earp. “And they settled into their rooms by 9 p.m. That’s their curfew, imposed by (manager) Leon Elwell.”
Lynn plays its first game today (1) against Three Corners, Vt., the 15s will play in a four-team pool today, Saturday and Sunday, with the first three finishers, playing a series of crossover games to determine the champion. The winner proceeds to the Babe Ruth World Series, which will be held this year in Virginia.
Should Lynn make it to the World Series, it would be the fourth time in its history it has done so. The 13-year-olds won in 1989, the 15s made it in 2016 and the senior team made it two years later. The latter two teams were also managed by Elwell.
Earp said he’s grateful the league has seen so much success.
“Every year, we seem to be right there,” he said. “A few bounces and breaks and we could have been doing this on a regular basis. But that’s the game of baseball.”
Earp has been president of Babe Ruth for the past four years, and in all that time he says he knows one thing.
“This is extremely special,” he said. “There’s something about Babe Ruth All-Stars. The further you get, the more special it is.
“These kids are becoming men,” he said. “When they’re in Little League, they’re still children in a lot of ways. But these guys see the benefit of hard work, working smart, and what it brings you.
“And look at the notoriety they get,” he said. “It’s truly a lifelong activity that brings people together and forgets memories. It’s great. Those kids from 2016 still bond together. A bunch of them came down and talked to this current group of kids earlier this week.”
Because of last-minute logistical issues, Lynn had to raise money to send the boys to Keene.
“We’re not there yet,” said Earp, “What we’ll have to do is reimburse parents who paid their own money for rooms in the hotel. I have to thank the parents for all they did to raise money, especially Jill Avery, Yasmine Driscoll and Amy Amirault. Without them, I don’t know where we’d be.”
