Chris Whitaker
AMERICUS — The 2009 Kiwanis Baseball Tournament will throw out the first pitch 4 p.m. Friday when Sumter County takes on Marion County in 12-and-under action.
The tournament, which will have three age divisions, features teams from Sumter, Marion, Macon and Schley Counties, as well as teams from Leesburg, Moultrie, Baconton and Grady County.
Tournament Coordinator and Kiwanis Vice President Charlene Pennymon expects a big turnout.
“We’re excited; it’s going to be a fantastic tournament,” said Pennymon, who is scheduled to be the Kiwanis’ first female president in October. “The teams are excited about coming, and we have a really good mix of teams.”
Last year’s tournament turned out to be a disappointment as it was scheduled the same weekend as another regional tournament. Pennymon said they made to sure to avoid the same conflict this year.
“It hurt us as far as our teams go,” she said. “This year we started earlier and worked with each team’s coordinator to make sure we coordinate a good weekend so all the teams could come to our tournament.”
Kiwanis added the 8-and-under division after eliminating the 14-and-under class. Pennymon said as kids got older, travel teams were more of the norm, so they wanted to get more kids involved at an early age.
“It gives the younger kids a good feel for team play and teamwork,” she said. “They’re learning to enjoy sports. I think it helps them be well-rounded as far as playing together and seeing some competition and looking forward to winning something.”
The 8-and-under and 10-and-under divisions will have pool play before entering into a single-elimination tournament.
For 12-and-under, the teams will have pool play and the top two teams in each pool will play in the semifinals and finals. Teams receive three points for wins, one for a tie (there are time limits) and none for a loss. A team receives an extra point if it wins by the mercy rule, and a team that loses by that margin will be deducted a point.
There are also no pitch counts/limits.
Admission for kids 12-and-under is $3 for a day and $5 for a weekend; for adults, it is $7 and $15, respectively.
“One hundred percent of the profits are returned back into the community to help with other projects we have going on,” said Pennymon. “We can’t wait to meet everyone and play some good ball.”
