Awesome weekend
To the Editor:
Wow! What a great week of baseball here in Marion. The 12-and-under Cal Ripken State Tournament of Champions was a huge success.
Even though our host team CVL All-Stars could not bring home the first place trophy, they battled back through the losers' bracket and lost to a very good Independence team in the championship game.
If you were lucky enough to see our boys play at 10 p.m. Sunday against Rose Hill, or at 10 a.m. Monday against Louisburg, you saw them at their very best as they run-ruled both of these quality teams by a combined score of 22-2.
There are many people to thank, including committee members Mike Jeffery, Margo Yates, Melissa Parmley, Mitch Carlson, Russ Cain, Terry Edwards, and Andy Hansen. Each had a key role in this tournament and made my job as tournament organizer an easy one.
Thanks also to host families who opened their homes to these young people and helped make their stay in Marion a memorable one. I have heard nothing but wonderful things from both the host families and the players about their experiences.
We were lucky enough to house four boys from Neosho Valley and had a great time with them and their parents. We already have made several phone calls back and forth and hope we have made lifelong friends.
Thanks to Assistant State Commissioner David Branson, his wife Diane, and Babe Ruth Baseball for allowing Marion to host this tournament.
We would like to thank the City of Marion for working with us in the preparation of our baseball complex.
In case some of you live in a bubble and did not hear, we had a little rain during the weekend. In fact, it rained for 40 hours straight, to the tune of five inches right in the middle of the tournament!
Hats off to Terry Edwards, his wife Chris, and the many volunteers who came out and waded through mud and water to get the field playable. To the amazement of everyone, including myself, we were able to resume tournament play at 5 p.m. Saturday.
We would like to thank the fans who came out and supported these young men. Not only did you see some of the best baseball you will ever see at the 12-year-old level, you witnessed some of the best sportsmanship and team play that has ever been displayed.
Last, but certainly not least, we would like to thank the members of the host team CVL All-Stars who made an incredible gutsy run at their second straight state championship by coming up through the losers' bracket. These boys were asked to play six games in a 24-hour period, which required special written permission from the national Babe Ruth headquarters.
They rose to the occasion by playing some of their best baseball ever in their quest for the title. They fell short to a very good Independence team, but showed great character by congratulating them and wishing them well in the Midwest Regional Tournament. We are very proud of these boys and look forward to watching them compete in the future.
This tournament proves once again that Marion is "The Best Place I've Seen!"
Casey and Nicki Case
Marion
