Babe Ruth teams set for Williamsport | News, Sports, Jobs

WILLIAMSPORT — For the first time since 1998, there will be something new on the road to the Babe Ruth Tournament.

The 14-year-old program was launched in 1998. Mifflin County didn’t field a team until 1999. This year, the oldest All-Star team will feature 16-year-olds.

The 16-year-olds have had a storied career at Babe Ruth. At 13, they won a state title and finished second at the Mid-Atlantic regionals. Then, at 14, they were state runners-up but won the regionals and went to the World Series in Williston, N.D., where they tied for fifth nationally. Last summer, at 15, they tied for third at the regionals. They have an overall record of 22-10.

The 15-year-olds finished twice in the final (third) in Pennsylvania.

Mifflin County will open play Saturday at 2 p.m. against Broomall-Newtown in Williamsport. Mifflin County’s second game of the tournament is at 8 p.m. Sunday against Media. Other teams in the tournament are Altoona, Ridley, Scranton and host West End of Williamsport.

The seven teams will play two games, then one team will be eliminated. The other six will move on to a single-elimination game. The state title game will be played Tuesday.

No matter what happens, Mifflin County will be able to return home and play in the Mid-Atlantic Regionals from July 18-21.

The team manager is Denny Yetter of McVeytown. Yetter will be assisted by Dave Cherry also of McVeytown, Travis Parkes of Reedsville and Mike Arnold of Strodes Mills.

Yetter’s record at McVeytown after four years is 40-41. As an All-Star manager in 2021, he guided the Mifflin County 13-year-old All-Stars to a state title and a runner-up finish at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals. Mifflin County’s only loss that year was to Atlantic Shore (Atlantic City, N.J.) in the regional final. Atlantic Shore went on to win the national title. Mifflin County’s record was 9-1, and Yetter’s overall record is 49-42.

Five players (all 16) from that 2021 team are still playing, Elliott Yetter and Nazae Traxler of McVeytown; Chase Leister and Jayden Smith of Burnham; and Reese Christine of Belltown.

Mifflin County has a total of nine 16-year-olds. The other 16-year-olds are Braxton Smith and Noah Wert of Beaver Springs; Lincoln Ruble, Burnham and Parker Crownover of Belleville.

The team is rounded out by six 15-year-olds: Thad Gerwick, Blaze Shreffler and Karl Shrey of Milroy; Carson Cherry, McVeytown; Wyatt Parkes, Reedsville and Kyle Shupp of Beaver Springs.

There are eight three-time All-Stars, Traxler, Cherry, Parkes, Braxton Smith,

Shupp, Gerwick, Shirey and Shreffler. Three players are in their first year as All-Stars, Ruble, Crownover and Wert.

There have now been a total of 284 three-time All-Stars. Parkes is the 44th of

Reedsville and this franchise now have the most since it is ahead of Belleville.

Four players, Yetter, Leister, Christine and Jayden Smith, have joined an exclusive club. These four players will be members of the four-time All-Star group. The other three four-time All-Stars were AJ Scheffel, Lewistown, 2005-2008; Thomas Walters, Yeagertown, 2004-2007 and Ben Wilt, Reedsville, 2005-2008.

When Mifflin County faces Media, it will be the first time a Mifflin County team has played Media. This will be the 141st different league, state or region that Mifflin County will face. This will be the 104th different league in Pennsylvania.

Mifflin County’s record in Williamsport is 47-32.

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