Cal Ripken Swings Southwest Regional to Mobile, Alabama

MOBILE, Ala. –The Mobile Sports Authority, in conjunction with Westside Park, is pleased to welcome the Cal Ripken 8-Year-Old Southwest Regional Baseball Tournament to Mobile, AL this month. The 6-day tournament will take place at Westside Park in west Mobile with the first pitch scheduled for Thursday, July 14th, 2016. The Cal Ripken Southwest Regional Tournament’s opening ceremony will be held on Wednesday, July 13th at 6 p.m., at Hank Aaron Stadium, the home of the Mobile BayBears. 

Cal Ripken Baseball is a division of the Babe Ruth League catering to youth baseball, ages 4-12. In the Cal Ripken 

7 & 8-year-old divisions, teams must earn one of the top 4 spots in their respective state tournament in order to qualify for Regionals. Alabama is the eastern-most state in the Cal Ripken Southwest Region which also consists of teams from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Twenty-eight (28) teams will compete for the prestigious Southwest Regional title over this 6-day tournament. Twenty-three (23) of the 28 teams will travel from out-of-state to Mobile, all with the common goal of taking home the trophy. The tournament format is structured so that each team will play three pool-play games with the top two seeds from each pool advancing on to the single elimination championship series. 

“Westside Baseball Park is excited to be the host site for the 2016 Cal-Ripken 8-Yr-Old Southwest Regional Tournament. With 28 teams committed, the competition and number of visitors will be great for the area. From July 13th through July 19th, Mobile will see some great youth baseball!” said Billy Miller, Westside Athletic Association’s Park President.

Danny Corte, Executive Director of the Mobile Sports Authority, added, “With the sport of baseball deeply ingrained into Mobile’s sports history, it’s only natural that we are co-hosting (with Westside Park) a Cal Ripken Regional. Who knows, we may see the next Hank Aaron or Josh Donaldson out there competing. We also want to extend a warm Mobile welcome to all those affiliated with the teams. Good luck everyone!”   

For more information on Cal Ripken baseball and tournament information, please visit www.brlswregion.com.

The Mobile Sports Authority (MSA) is a non-profit sports commission formed in 2008 by the Mobile County Commission. The main mission is to create a positive economic and public relations impact for Mobile County, the City of Mobile, and the region through attracting, hosting, managing and supporting sporting events. MSA is the main point of contact for sports and sports-related activities for the Mobile County area. For more information on MSA, please visit www.mobilesportsauthority.com.