Dixie Youth baseball regionals coming to the area in July

The best Dixie Youth 10- and 12-year-old baseball players will be coming to the Tri-City area next month as Morgan City and St. Mary Central, in an unprecedented move, have secured the North Regional and South Regional of
Louisiana Dixie Youth, respectively.
While the regionals, which will be held July 15-19, typically have been in different areas of the state, never have they been hosted in the same area since regional format began in 2002.
Typically, 10- and 12-year-old teams from various districts go to the North Regional, while the others go to the South Regional.
This year’s event will add a different twist as Morgan City will host all of the 10-year-olds from both regionals, while St. Mary Central will have the 12- year-olds from both regionals in Bayou Vista where they will compete at St. Mary Parish Recreation District 3’s facilities at the Bayou Vista Community Center.
The next weekend, the two regional champions will play in the state championship in Alexandria in a best, two-out-of three series, in their respective age groups.
“This is the first time you’ll be able to have the actually two tournaments in one facility, so the two teams, whoever wins, will be able to see who their competition will be the next week,” said Seth Thomas, District 3 Dixie Youth baseball director and assistant director of the south for Dixie Youth.
Thomas said he and Stan Robison, chairman of St. Mary Parish Recreation District 3, had discussed the possibility of hosting both regionals in recent years.
When it came time for bidding, the area won the package deal.
“I know the state board, the state directors are all excited about trying this, seeing how it works, and they’re really looking forward to coming,” Thomas said.
Thomas said it is also unique, being in the same area because if someone has children competing in both 10s and 12s regional action, in the past, parents will have to split up. This year, they won’t.
It also will serve as a big boast for the economy, Robison and Thomas said.
“Here, we’ll have 32 teams in our area, and we think that the hotels, restaurants, everything’s gonna really benefit,” Thomas said.
Robison said an estimated 300 to 350 hotel rooms would be filled the weekend of the tournament.
The 32-team field will consists of the top two teams from each of the seven district tournaments for 10-year-olds and 12-year-olds will be in the event along with 10- and 12-year-old teams from St. Mary Central and Morgan City, who are the hosts.
Because they are hosting, St. Mary Central and Morgan City will not compete in the District 3 tournament for their age groups.
That means that two of the remaining three teams — Thibodaux, Patterson and Franklin — will advance from the district tournament to the regional tournaments in each age group.
It also guarantees at least one more St. Mary Parish team will advance.
Thomas credited the Cajun Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau, the Town of Berwick, the City of Morgan City and the St. Mary Parish Council for their help.
“We’re looking for more, because we think this is going to be a one-of-a-kind event,” he said.