Ruth, Ripken baseball coming

The Warren Athletic Club is expanding youth baseball to all of Trumbull County.

WARREN — Youth baseball under the direction of the Warren Athletic Club will be expanding in 2009.

Coming to Trumbull County will be the Babe Ruth League and its Cal Ripken division for boys and girls from ages 5 through 17, said Dave Harries, a WAC board member.

Official charter documents will be signed today at the Buena Vista Cafe at 4 p.m. Mark Watson of Evansville, Ind., and Bill Lowe of Wisconsin, commissioner and assistant commissioner, respectively, for the Ohio Valley Region of the Babe Ruth League, will be on hand.

Harries said national affiliation will give young players many advantages that they didn’t have before, including the opportunity to compete in district, regional and national tournaments.

In addition, Harries said players will have better coaching, programs and more suitable fields with bigger dimensions in some cases, plus the fact that the leagues will be open to all of Trumbull County and not just Warren.

Babe Ruth will cover five age divisions: 13-17, while Cal Ripken is for two age divisions, 9-10 and 11-12 — all divisions for boys and mostly all for girls.

Harries said the WAC operated in 2008 as a first-year merger of three leagues to provide baseball and softball for players ages 5-17 years old, and that 600 kids participated on fields at Perkins and Burbank parks.

But he said the teams didn’t have any district, regional and national tournaments to advance to because the league had no national affiliations.

“We looked around and felt that Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken would best fit our situation, especially the 11-12 boys. The fields are a little bigger than the typical Little League field, and the bigger dimensions will suit the players better because it prepares them for the next step in baseball where field dimensions are greater.”

Harries also said the new league will have higher standards.

“All of the coaches have to pass a certification test that will be provided by Babe Ruth baseball. This will insure more qualified and better prepared coaches, and they also have to pass a criminal background check.”

Harries also sees more player participation.

“We will be able to grow our league to be more inclusive and be open to all players from Trumbull County.

“We also are working on permission to use the Warren Harding High baseball team as a consulting body. The Harding coaching staff is heavily involved in this because they know that it will benefit the Harding baseball team as a good feeder system.”

The WAC president is Tony DiPaola, while Bill Gadzalski is vice president, Tabatha Johnson, secretary; and H. Scott Masters, CPA, treasurer. Elder also serves as the boys commissioner while Mike McMillion is girls commissioner.

All six also serve on the 10-member WAC Board with Harries along with Nick Graham, Allan Harris and George Callow.