By By Jeff Byrd
staff writer
The State Tournament for the 10-year-old age division for Cal Ripken Baseball comes to Phil Hardin Park on Saturday, with 10 teams will battle for the state crown.
Festivities begin on Friday night with a banquet at the Frank Cochran Center. Current Mississippi State University head baseball coach Ron Polk will be the guest speaker. The banquet is set to start at 7 p.m.
Kent Daniel of the North Meridian Optimist Club is the local director for the double-elimination tournament, which begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday when Orange Grove takes on Ripley. The host Meridian All-Stars battle Olive Branch at 11 a.m.
Other first round match-ups have Oxford facing North Jackson at 1 p.m., Vicksburg meeting the Ripley-Orange Grove winner at 5, New Albany awaiting the Meridian-Olive Branch winner at 7 p.m., and Stone County taking on Jeff Davis County at 3 p.m.
If Meridian wins its two games on Saturday, they would move on to a winners bracket game on Sunday night at 7 p.m. The first four games on Sunday will all be elimination games.
In other Cal Ripken State Tournaments, the Meridian 9-year-old All-Stars are headed to the Orange Grove area of Gulfport. The tourney begins on Friday.
The Meridian 11-year-old All-Stars, which last year went to the Cal Ripken World Series, are headed to Vicksburg for its state tournament. That tourney is set to begin on July 11.
Also beginning on July 11 will be the 12-year-old State Tournament set for New Albany.