Five Tri-City area teams among 32 competing locally at Dixie Youth Regionals

Louisiana’s best Dixie Youth AAA (10U) and Majors (12U) All-Star baseball teams, including seven St. Mary Parish squads, will hit the fields in Morgan City and Bayou Vista, beginning Friday, for the North and South Regionals in these respective age groups.
Among the combined 32-team field in both age groups are the following St. Mary Parish squads: Morgan City, St. Mary Central and Franklin in AAA and Majors action and Patterson in AAA action.
While Morgan City and St. Mary Central advanced to the regional tournaments in both age groups as the tournament hosts and did not have to compete in district action, Patterson competed in district play where it finished as District 3 runner-up to Franklin. Franklin won the District 3 AAA crown, too.
Action in the double-elimination tournaments will conclude Tuesday.
This marks the first time that the North and South Regionals are being held in the same areas.
In past years, the two regionals for the age groups have been in different areas of the state. Never have they been hosted in the same area since regional format began in 2002.
This year’s event will add a different twist as Morgan City will host all the AAA games from both regionals at Cypress and Complex parks.
Meanwhile, St. Mary Central will have the Majors All-Stars 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.
In Majors action, all teams in the South Regional will compete on field 3. St. Mary Central, the host team, will face Ville Platte in a 7:30 p.m. contest Friday. Ville Platte is the District 7 champion.
Another local South Regional game Friday features Franklin meeting Pontiff, the District 2 runner-up, at 5:30 p.m. Action will begin Friday with Alexandria facing Mangham at 1 p.m., while Minden and Gonzales Americans will follow at 3 p.m. Alexandria was the District 8 runner-up; Mangham, the District 5 runner-up; Minden, the District 4 runner-up; and Gonzales Americans, the District 6 champion.
In the Majors North Regional action Friday, host Morgan City will meet the Vernon Nationals in the lone local game at 7:30 p.m. Vernon Nationals is the District 7 runner-up. Friday’s Majors South Regional action will begin with the Gonzales Nationals meeting Union Parish at 1 p.m., followed by Cleary facing Sabine at 3 p.m. and Thibodaux meeting Monroe at 5:30 p.m.
Gonzales Nationals are the District 6 runner-up, while Union Parish is the District 4 champion; Cleary, the District 2 champion; Sabine, the District 8 champion; Thibodaux, the District 3 runner-up; and Monroe, the District 5 champion.
In AAA action, North Regional action will be played at Complex Park in Morgan City, while South Regional action will be played on the adjacent Complex Park.
In local AAA North Regional action, host Morgan City will face Loranger Friday at 7:30 p.m., while Patterson will meet Minden at 5:30 p.m. Loranger is the District 6 runner-up, while Minden is the District 4 champion.
Friday’s AAA North Regional action will begin with Ville Platte facing West Carroll at 1 p.m., followed by Sabine meeting Ruston at 3 p.m. Ville Platte is the District 7 runner-up, while West Carroll is the District 5 champion; Sabine, the District 8 champion; and Ruston, the District 4 third-place finisher.
In AAA South Regional play Friday, local action includes host St. Mary Central meeting Benton at 7:30 p.m., while Franklin will play EORD earlier in the day at 3 p.m.
Benton is the District 4 runner-up, while EORD is the District 5 runner-up.
Friday’s AAA South Regional action will begin with the Gonzales Nationals facing DeQuincy at 1 p.m., while Mamou will meet Jackson Parish at 5:30 p.m.
Gonzales Nationals are the District 6 champion, while DeQuincy is the District 7 third-place finisher; Mamou, the District 7 champion; and Jackson Parish, the District 8 runner-up.
Next weekend, the two regional champions in each age group will play in the state championship in Alexandria in a best, two-out-of- three series.