As the summer continues to heat up in Marion County, so too are the area’s all-star baseball and softball teams. Five squads on the softball and baseball diamond have already won state championships with a trip to the World Series on tap.
A pair of Columbia baseball teams claimed gold this weekend, as the 9u and 11u squads won their respective Dixie Youth Baseball state championship tournament in Pontotoc Sunday. The 9u All-Stars triumphed over Wayne County to win its title, while the 11u All-Stars took down George County in the quarterfinals, Meridian in the semifinals and George County once again in the championship game to earn the top honor. Both teams advance to the DYB Regional World Series in Laurel starting July 18.
In softball, three Columbia teams won state titles, including two squads who participated in Dixie Youth Softball tournaments. The 6u softball All-Stars went undefeated in its tournament in Philadelphia last week, and the 10u squad defended its home turf by claiming victory at The Yards. The pair of teams will participate in the DYS World Series in Fairview, Tenn. starting July 19.
Another area team began its journey in the World Series Wednesday, as the 8u All American Youth Sports state champions began play in Gardendale, Ala.
Last year, the City of Columbia contributed $1,000 to each state title winning team to assist in paying for new uniforms, transportation and lodging costs for their respective World Series. During the July 2 Board of Aldermen meeting, at Alderwoman-at-Large Andrea Porter’s suggestion, the city approved contributing $100 per player for each team instead. For example, if a team has 12 players, it will receive $1,200.
Three baseball teams still have an opportunity at gold, as the 8u baseball All-Stars are set to play in a state championship tournament this weekend in Brookhaven, while the Columbia 10u and 12u All-Stars will play in Laurel.
