Local youth baseball league opens season today

Borrowing from the popular Monday Night Football theme, are you ready for some baseball?

About 425 area youths sure are.

The local Cal Ripken League opens its regular season today at the Cherokee County Youth Sports Complex.

Competition will take place in three age divisions - Major (ages 11- 12), Minor (ages 9-10) and Mite (ages 7-8).

Each league will play a 12-or 14- game schedule.

The Major League will feature eight teams, including defending league champion Elks. VFW, which captured the preseason tournament, is expected to pose a stiff challenge to the defending champs.

In the 10-team Minor League, defending champion A&E Engineering has the talent to repeat. But First Piedmont Federal and Burger King could unseat the defending champ.

The Mite League is wide open with defending champ American Community Bank in a rebuilding mode. McDaniel Landscaping and Hamrick Inc. are expected to compete for the league crown.

League official Tim Blackwell said he's looking forward to an exciting season.

"I think the leagues should be very competitive this season, especially in the Major League division," he said.

Blackwell also said the league couldn't operate without its team sponsors.

"The sponsors make it possible to operate the league," he said.