Published: June 25, 2008 12:37 am            

LITTLE LEAGUE: Districts about to begin

For fans of Little League baseball, it’s like Christmas, Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July all rolled up into one.

But this is a holiday that lasts more than two weeks.

The 2008 version of the District V All-Star tournaments will begin on Saturday, as the best teams from the Clarksville, Jeff/GRC, Highlander Youth Recreation, New Albany and Silver Creek leagues will converge on the home fields of host Charlestown until champions are crowned in age groups from 9-14.

The tournament will kick off with a Major League baseball matchup between Clarksville and Silver Creek — the hosts of last year’s District V clash — at Butch Reich Field at 3 p.m.

Overall, seven games are on the schedule for the first day of action, concluding with a Major baseball contest between HYR and New Albany and a Major softball meeting between Clarksville and Charlestown. Both are scheduled for 8 p.m.

Games will be played on four different fields, with each weekday’s opener being held at 5:30 p.m. Saturday’s first game will be held at 3 p.m.

Scoring the area’s annual tradition is no small coup for Charlestown Little League, which has spent a good majority of the offseason renovating its 50-year-old facilities.

“This is an honor and a huge responsibility,” said a posting on the home page for the organization. “This tournament will be the final showcase for all the hard work and improvements that have been made to our park.”

Jeff/GRC won the most titles last season, taking three of the eight division championships. HYR was next with two, while Silver Creek, New Albany and Clarksville each took one. Charlestown was the only league without an overall victor.

New Albany’s one champion came in the 11-12-year-old baseball division, where the team landed in the finals of the Great Lakes Region Tournament before dropping a 6-1 decision to Hamilton, Ohio. The game was televised nationally by ESPN and was for a berth in the Little League World Series.



DISTRICT V ALL-STAR TOURNAMENT

When: Saturday (lasts approximately two weeks). Games played daily (except Sundays).

Where: Charlestown Little League Park

Participants: Jeff/GRC, Charlestown, Clarksville, Silver Creek, Highlander Youth Recreation, New Albany

        

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