Written by
Dee Loflin SMT Manager/Writer
Charleston, Missouri - Tonight, Thursday, July 18th the Charleston Squirrels are hosting the Babe Ruth State tournament at Hillhouse Park in Charleston, Missouri. This is the 5th time the Squirrels have hosted the State tournament and are the defending Senior Babe Ruth Missouri State champions. There will be 10 teams competing for the State Championship.
Chaffee all-state picks Cody Payne and Jared Walker and Scott City all-state selection Ryan Fortner make up part of Charleston’s roster. Dexter's own Brad Potts and Chase Young along with Bloomfield's Travis Phillips and Tim Fox will also be among Squirrels fighting for another State Championship and a chance to go to the Regionals in Iowa.
Coach Mike Minner stated, “We are excited to host the tournament. It should be a fun weekend in Charleston. We just hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable time at Hillhouse Park and of course, we want the Squirrels to win!”
The actual tournament begins at 5:00 p.m. with East Prairie against Jackson, the other teams start play on Friday. This year’s tournament is double-elimination style with the loser’s of the Thursday and Friday’s opening round games getting one last shot to save their season on Saturday.
With the Squirrels having a great season at 41-9, they have a very good chance of beating the Leopold Razorbacks tonight. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at Hillhouse Park.
The Charleston Squirrels have taken four of the last five state championships and reached the Midwest Plains Regional Tournament each of those five year. The winner of the tournament will earn a trip the regional tournament to be held in Oscaloosa, Iowa.
To follow the Squirrels go to their website at www.nutsbaseball.com.
