The Cal Ripken 10-year-old World Series Heads to Ocala

Players and coaches from around the country are converging on our hometown of Ocala, Florida for the Cal Ripken 10-year-old youth baseball league World Series, which begins on Saturday.

The Cal Ripken Baseball League is a division of Babe Ruth League, Inc. With age groups ranging from 4 to18 years old, Babe Ruth Baseball has more than one million players on teams across the United States. Seven of the largest divisions host a World Series tournament annually, with the Cal Ripken 10-year-old Division being the youngest age group.

Ocala last hosted the Cal Ripken 10-year-old World Series in 2010 at the Rotary Sportsplex. League officials liked the area so much they decided to bring the Series back to Ocala for the second time in four years. Ocala city council members enjoy having the Series here because it brings plenty of visitors to the area who help boost the economy, especially during a slow year for tourism.

The Cal Ripken 10-year-old World Series consists of eight teams from the different regions across the country, the state champion from the state hosting the tournament, and a host team, for a total of ten teams. Each team plays a total of four games in a pool system, and the top six teams advance to a single-elimination tournament. The team that wins the single-elimination tournament is crowned the World Series champion for the year.

Teams from as far away as California and Idaho are making the trip to Ocala this year. Among the teams participating in the Series is a team from Newtown, Connecticut, the site of the Sandy Hook tragedy. Each team has around 12 players, and a group of coaches. Those players bring along their parents, and in some cases, extended family and friends.

The Ocala Hilton is hosting a pre-tournament banquet the Friday before the games begin, and some of the teams are staying there for the duration of the tournament. Many of the families treat the Series as a vacation, and enjoy spending time around town when not playing or practicing.

Earlier this year, we were able to provide custom trading pins for the team from Ocala that’s playing in the Series, the Ocala Rotary Rampage. We want to wish them (and the rest of the teams) good luck, and we hope everyone enjoys the Series and the city of Ocala.

TJM Promotions is a premier provider of any and all types of custom promotional products, from trading pins to wristbands to lanyards, we do it all. Call us toll-free at (800) 423-0449 or fill out our no-obligation free quote form and we’ll work together to design some custom promotional items for you!