The road to a state championship for a young group of South Sioux City baseball players goes through Kearney this week as two all-star teams will compete in separate divisions of the Little League State Tournament that begins Thursday at Kearney’s Patriot Park.
The players, ranging in age from 10-12, were chosen from the local Little League teams that played earlier this summer in local competition, and after a couple of scrimmages to get comfortable, the teams are on the road to compete in a four-day, double-elimination tournament that will determine the state’s Little League champions.
Minors coach Jared Langel said both teams are full of talented young kids who possess the willingness to work and the desire to be a success.
“We have a great group of South Sioux City kids who have put in a lot of work,” he said. “The kids have a good work ethic and when they compete, they play hard. We have some good pitching and I think our defense is pretty solid, particularly on the infield.”
Eleven teams are competing in the Minors bracket, which actually began play on Wednesday.
South Sioux City opens the double-elimination tournament with Hillside out of Omaha, and the winner will get a day off before competing in the semifinals on Saturday. Games will continue through Sunday’s championship game.
The players making up the Minors team include Elic Thoene, Carter Langel, Landon Ramirez, Tyler Heying, Beckham Tapia, Barrett Engel, Bentley Lanmers, Axel Thoene, Tripp Mast, Abel Tranmer, Braden Cain, Ryker Stolze. Coaches are Jared Langel and Taylor Mast, and manager is Alex Tapia.
The 10-team Majors division starts on Thursday afternoon, and SSC will face Hastings in a 6 p.m. first-round matchup. The winner will move on to a 3:30 p.m. game on Friday against Twin Valley, with the semifinals on Saturday and the championship on Sunday afternoon.
Winners of the Majors state tournament will represent Nebraska in the national Little League tournament that will run through the month of July, where regional winners will play in the Little League World Series in August in Williamsport, Pa.
Minors team members are Maddox Hansel, Gavin Verdoorn, Jayce Kramer, Waylon Pfister, Liam Johnson, Colby Rager, Luis Banos, Jackson Selk, Gabe Begay, Waylon Ochsner, Jordi Camarillo and Luca Ramirez. Coaches are Chris Rager and Micheal Verdoorn with Steve Selk serving as manager.
