North ready to host Small League state championships
Some of the best teams in the state will gather at the North Fort Myers Community Park this Fourth of July weekend as it hosts for the first time the Florida State Small League Championship tournament.
And the local Babe Ruth organization has done a great job overcoming much adversity to get things accomplished.
Fifteen team in four divisions, U10, U12 (46-60), U12 (50-70), and U15, including those from the host site, will play for the right to play for regional and national championships.
Bill Lemmerman, president of North Fort Myers Babe Ruth, said he didn’t get the full field as he expected, but considering it was a holiday weekend and it is a first-time event, he is happy with the turnout.
“We’re off to a decent start. We limited registration to 32 teams. On one side I’m a little disappointed with that, but on the other it’s a first-time event and this makes it more manageable and we can do it right,” Lemmerman said.
With North Fort Myers expected to host the event in the future, Lemmerman said it could be a great bonus for the area.
“For these teams to commit to coming to North Fort Myers on a holiday is quite an accomplishment. We hope to put on a good event and that it will be bigger and better next year,” Lemmerman said.
Lemmerman said the scheduling was done by the national organization and that he hopes next year’s tournament won’t fall on a holiday weekend.
Another problem is the fact another baseball tournament, The Perfect Game tournament, will be played on the same weekend throughout Lee County and will consume a lot of the umpiring talent in the area.
“We’ve had to bring in umpires from outside the area. And the tournament will bring in a lot of college scouts,” Lemmerman said. “We have that to compete with, but I’m happy with the way it’s come together.”
The teams will hold a meeting Wednesday night for games that will begin the following morning and on through Saturday, weather permitting.
Teams representing North Fort Myers will be there, including the U12 district championship team and the U10 squad that reached the finals.