SPORTS
SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — 5A
It’s Little League tournament time
■ Baker City hosting District 3 Little League baseball, softball tourneys starting today, continuing through June 24
By Corey Kirk
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
A total of 34 Little League
baseball and softball teams
from across Eastern Oregon
will gather in Baker City
Saturday, June 19 through
June 24, for the District 3
tournament.
Games will be played at
the Baker Sports Complex
and Wade Williams Elks
Memorial Park.
The tournament includes
seven divisions:
• Baseball: ages 8-10, 9-11,
10-12 and juniors
• Softball: ages 8-10, 10-12
and juniors
In addition to the Baker
teams, there will be squads
competing from Harney
County, Hermiston, La
Grande, Milton-Freewater,
Pendleton, Wallowa Valley,
Grant County, Pilot Rock and
Columbia.
Baker Little League was
scheduled to host the 2020
district tournament, but those
plans were derailed when the
Little League season was can-
celed due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
That gave Baker Little
League offi cials additional
time to prepare for the event.
“We’ve known about the
tournament for a couple of
years now, approaching two
years,” Baker Little League
President Jason McClaughry
said.
This is the fi rst major
tournament Baker City has
hosted since the 2018 state
softball event.
“The planning of course
Baker Little League/Contributed Photo
Little League baseball earlier this spring at Wade Wil-
liams Elks Memorial Park in Baker City.
starts at the Baker Little
League level. As the host we
have to plan concessions,
we have to plan out fi eld
maintenance, who is going to
do the score keeping as far as
scorebooks and scoreboards,”
McClaughry said. “Any
training that we’ve done to
do those things, hosting the
umpires, fi nding accommoda-
tions for them. Just kind of
the basic supplies that go into
hosting an event, whether
it’s trash cans to trash bags,
spoons, forks, baseball equip-
ment to chalk, to lining fi elds,
there’s a lot of little details
that go into it.”
McClaughry credits the
constructive feedback and ad-
vice of other leagues, and the
District 3 administrator Matt
Martin for help in preparing
for the tournament.
“He’s got a big role in
connecting with the western
region of Little League and
Little League International,
down to us at the local league,
so there’s all sorts of planning
that person does to make
sure everything is in place as
well,” McClaughry said.
He said volunteers are
crucial for putting on the
tournament, with parents
and community members
contributing in many ways.
“Without the community, it
doesn’t happen,” McClaughry
said. “That’s even in the local
season without the tourna-
ment, without all the volun-
teers that we have spending
many hours, the local season
doesn’t happen. When we
have a week-long tourna-
ment, where we are going to
have that variety of teams
with multiple games happen-
ing at two venues, it’s going to
take a lot of people.”
Through the website
SignUp.com, volunteers are
able to register for a wide
variety of jobs throughout
the tournament. McClaughry
encourages those interested
in offering their help to go to
that website — there’s a link
on the Baker Little League
Facebook page — to see
where they can help.
“We will continue to take
volunteers throughout the
week and we will fl ood people
in where they can help,” he
said.
With more than 400 ball-
players and more than 100
coaches in town for the next
several days, McClaughry
said he can’t help but feel
excited.
“Everybody is really look-
ing forward to it; the season
was a fantastic success of
having all the kids back out
playing baseball for a month
and a half,” McClaughry
said. “Until you go out to the
practices and games, and you
see all the excitement the
kids brought to it just to be
back on the fi eld and play-
ing baseball. It’s just been an
amazing thing to have those
types of experiences back,
and you realize how much is
lost after putting it to the side
for a year.”
Although spectators are
not required to wear masks,
they are encouraged to
conduct themselves safely in
regard to social distancing as
they see fi t.
More information is
available at the Baker Little
League Facebook page, in-
cluding a link to full tourna-
ment coverage at https://tour-
neymachine.com/R92074.
Baker All-Star Teams
BASEBALL
• Ages 8-10: Zane Hansen, Carson Johnson, Mason
Radford, Welker Benson, Brand Bingham, Judah McBride,
Ceder Hassmiller, Blake Stevens, Brennan Stevens, Joel
Anderson, Lane Collier, Tucker Horn, Bryce Thompson
Manager, Levi Spriet; Coaches Austin Plumbtree, Tristan
Robertson, Levi Isham. First game was today, June 19
against Wallowa Valley at 11:30 a.m. at the Sports Complex
• Ages 10-11: Beau Briels, Landon Marlia, Tucker Reid,
Antonio Govern, Coleman Ingram, Joseph Warbis, Wyatt
Carey, Ambrose Rexroad, Liam Jobes, Cooper Bain, Ty Price,
Gavin Meyers, Keller Barr. Manager Brandon Briels; Coaches
Brandon Reid, Jim Ingram. First game was today, June 19
against Union County at 9 a.m. at Wade Williams.
• Ages 10-12: Cooper Briels, Logan Meyer, Waylon
Gibbons, Wyatt Arriola, Ethan Keller, Henry Kamerdula,
Lane Weaver, Sylus Watkins, Ashton Palmer, Braden
Whitebread, Ethan Rayl, Ryder Nimmo, Henry Smith
Manager Nick Rayl, Coaches Kenny Keister, Nathan Rayl.
First game is today, June 19 at 7 p.m. against Harney
County at Wade Williams.
• Juniors: Aldo Duran, Ethan Fletcher, John Garcia,
Julian Garcia, Talon Gyllenberg, Jake McClaughry, Ethan
Morgan, Zane Morgan, Paul Novak, William O’Connell,
Gerik Orszulak, Andrew Richards, Clay Stevens. First
game was today, June 19 against Wallowa Valley at 11:30
a.m. at the Sports Complex.
SOFTBALL
• Ages 8-10: Afton Albert, Hannah Sullivan, Grace
McClaughry, Bostyn Baxter, Addison Hester, Vanessa
Heitz, Romie Spooner, Mackenzie Dennis, Ayla Kamerdula,
Mira Cole, Mackenzie Moothart, Raevyn Whiting, Kinley
Downing. Manager Krisi Wilde-Brinton; Coaches Luke
Albert, Charlie Brinton. First game is today, June 19
against Union County at 2 p.m. at the Sports Complex.
• Ages 10-12: Bailey Sangster, Raegan Gulick, Reagan
Ritter, Maddy Rudi, Kellee Dixon, Jazlynn Culley, Colbi
Bachman, Macey Morgan, Maylee Martin, Jocelyn Rayl,
Claire Collier, Emily Sullivan, Kate Nilsen. Manager Sonny
Gulick; Coaches James Bachman, Jimmy Sullivan. First
game is today, June 19 against Harney County at 4 p.m. at
the Sports Complex.
Class 1A basketball state tourney in Baker City, North Powder
By Davis Carbaugh
The (La Grande) Observer
In what has been a tumultuous
indoor sports season, Class 1A bas-
ketball teams will still get a proper
postseason experience this year.
Baker High School and Powder
Valley High School will welcome
16 boys teams and 16 girls teams
for the Class 1A state tournament
from Monday, June 21, through
Thursday, June 24. The double-
elimination tournament will be
hosted at both schools and run
simultaneously in the early rounds,
leading up to a champion being
crowned.
“My approach has been, I want to
do the best I can for my seniors and
my families because they’re missing
these opportunities,” said Buell
Gonzales Jr., athletic director for
the Baker School District.
The start of the 2021 indoor
sports season was delayed several
times and the season has been a
challenge with spring sports and
events going on at the same time.
Take Care of You
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Let’s end this pandemic and get back the life we all want.
It takes all of us,
and it starts with you.
See Tourney/Page 6A