Premiere des Cal Ripken Europe Qualifiers in Paderborn
Eight teams, some of them international, came to Paderborn this April weekend to qualify for the official U10 qualifying tournament for the Cal Ripken World Series in Crown Point, Indiana in August. For the first time, the preliminary round of the famous American Babe Ruth League baseball tournament for the U10 age group was played in Germany.
The teams from Dubai Camels, Hroši Brno, Debrecen Tigers, Berlin Bears, Westfalenbande, Bonn Capitals, Rising Stars and Future Stars accepted the invitation from Future Stars head coach Ulli Wermuth to compete in the three-day tournament. In addition to victory, the winner of the qualifying tournament also had the chance to take part in the Cal Ripken World Series in the USA. As hosts of the qualification, the Future Stars had already been nominated for the Cal Ripken World Series before the tournament – also a first for a German junior team.
There were a total of 20 games on both Paderborn children’s fields, for which all teams were divided into two groups. At the end of the preliminary round, the Dubai Camels, the Rising Stars, the Future Stars and Hrosi Brno stood in the two semi-finals, from which Hrosi Brno and the Future Stars emerged as finalists. In the game for third place, the Rising Stars won confidently against the Dubai Camels 11:4.
The final didn’t go unnoticed by all the teams traveling with us and the fully occupied stands in the Paderborn stadium, because after the scheduled 6 innings the score was 0-0 and extra time also put the nerves of all players, coaches and fans to the test. There was a first highlight right at the beginning: men’s national coach Jendrik Speer threw the first pitch of the game and Markus Pollmeier, DBV sports director, was available as field umpire at first base. Luan Wermuth later took over the mound from Jendrik Speer for the Future Stars and gave the Czechs 6 scoreless innings thanks to his strong pitching. Both teams were able to score in the extra innings 7 and 8, so that the winning run was only achieved in the 9th inning with a sacrifice fly by the Czechs.
In the end, it was the quality of the pitching and defense of a final game that this weekend, characterized by fair and sporting cooperation, deserved – and both final teams now have the opportunity to meet again in the USA in August.
You can find pictures on the Future Stars Facebook page (under U10 Future Stars)
by Ulli Wermuth
2024-04-17 06:23:22
#German #Baseball #Academy #Cal #Ripken #Qualifier #U10 #Paderborn
