WATERVILLE, Maine — Maine is taking center stage in the Babe Ruth baseball scene as the Cal Ripken Major/60 World Series is being held in Waterville and Oakland this week. The tournament features 12 teams from across the country including four from Maine.
Saturday was the first day of games as the week-long competition will highlight two of Maine's legendary ball fields. Games are played at Purnell Wrigley Field in Waterville and Maine's Fenway in Oakland.
The Alfond Youth and Community Center is the host of this year's World Series.
“This was a five-year project to host this," AYCC Athletic Director Issac LeBlanc said. "Putting in a bid in 2017, we were supposed to host in 2020. And then obviously with the pandemic, that got canceled and we got pushed back to 2022."
LeBlanc couldn't thank all the volunteers and workers enough during the years and recent weeks of preparations.
All 12 teams in the field will play every day through Wednesday in the pool play round, then on Thursday, the elimination round begins. The World Series wraps up on Saturday.
LeBlanc said while the talent on the diamond is top-tier, he's excited for his staff to provide memories of a lifetime for the players and families.
"They [all have the] the same type of mentality and they just want to have great experiences and play for the love of the game and we’re excited to host that," he added.
Maine's four teams in the tournament are Ararat, Noble, Waterville, and Andy Valley.
Ticket information can be found at this link.
