Wayne County Lumberjacks Are Headed to Senior Babe Ruth World Series

Jul 28, 2016

During the month of July alone, there are more than 100 “World Series” going on in various age groups across the United States. The term “World Series” seems to have lost its meaning from overuse, except when it comes to Little League, Cal Ripkin and Babe Ruth organizations.

The Lumberjacks after winning the Midwest Plains Regional Championship.

The Lumberjacks after winning the Midwest Plains Regional Championship.

What sets these organizations apart is that they pay all of the travel, lodging and meal expense for the teams who qualify for the World Series. This year, the Sr Babe Ruth World Series is held in Ephrata, Washington. The plane tickets alone from St Louis to Spokane cost over $500 per person. All in all, it’s estimated that by the end of the World Series, Babe Ruth organization will spend upwards of $15,000 on the Wayne County Lumberjacks bid for the 2016 title.

After winning a very difficult state tournament for the second consecutive year, the Lumberjacks drove 1800 miles round-trip to compete in the Midwest Plains Regional Playoffs held in Holyoke, Colorado. The tournament matched the Lumberjacks against 7 teams from Kansas, North Dakota, Colorado, and Minnesota. The Lumberjacks knocked off each opponent they faced outscoring them 45-12 and punched their ticket to the World Series in Ephrata.

Coach Jeff Null and Ben Becker. On the left, Becker is holding the State Champions award and on the right he's holding the Regional Champions award.
Coach Jeff Null and Ben Becker. On the left, Becker is holding the State Champions award and on the right he’s holding the Regional Champions award.

Blakeney Kearbey (.625 BA), Bryce Alcorn (.500 BA), Trey McDaniel (.474 BA) and Ben Becker (.462 BA) gave their team strong batting performances which put them all in the top 10 batting averages of the 110 players in the tournament. Kearbey was …[ read the rest of the story ]