Thirteen south Salem boys are headed to the Cal Ripken World Series to represent the Northwest region–if they can come up with $50,000.
The Saxon Youth baseball team is one of 18 U.S. teams and eight international teams selected to play in the tournament where they will face off against teams from Arkansas, Kentucky, Connecticut and the Midwest Plains region beginning August 3. A single-elimination portion of the tournament begins on August 10.
The Cal Ripken World Series, held in Branson, Missouri, is billed as showcasing the best 12-year-old baseball players in the world.
To earn a spot, the Saxon Youth performed well at state and regional competitions this year going 11-0 and outscoring their opponents 185-14.
“This is a once in a lifetime experience for these boys,” said Saxon Youth baseball coach and team manager Mike Sidwell.
To fund the trip, the team is fundraising through GoFundMe and personal donations. So far, they have raised $27,000.
“We don’t want the burden of cost to get in the way of players and families being able to attend,” a statement from the team read.
Donations are being accepted on the team’s GoFundMe page which has directions for sending personal checks as well.
-Caitlyn May
