GNADENHUTTEN, Ohio, Aug. 8, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- A summer league team from a tiny high school in Tuscarawas County in southeast Ohio will go to bat against the best 14-16 year-old baseball teams in the world after qualifying for the Senior League World Series.
A team from the Tuscarawas County Little League of New Philadelphia, Ohio, all students at Indian Valley Gnadenhutten High School, advanced to the Senior League World Series after winning the U.S. Central regional championship in Missouri earlier this week. The team's first World Series game, to be played in Bangor, Maine, is Aug. 10 against Curacao.
Ohio will play in Pool B with Curacao, Florida, Lithuania and New Jersey. Pool A is made up of Canada, Philippines, Maine, Hawaii and Texas. The championship game, featuring the respective winners of Pools A and B, will be broadcast live on ESPNU on Saturday, Aug. 16 at 3 p.m.
The team, comprised of kids from an Indian Valley all-star team, is managed by Kevin Gray, chief executive officer for Lauren International, headquartered in New Philadelphia, with coaching assistance from Derek Cummings, also with Lauren International, and Dusty Braun. To reach the World Series, the team first won the Ohio state championship in Dayton before defeating nine other regional state champions in Missouri. "We are extremely proud of these kids. Despite being outsized and definitely the underdogs, they fought hard and showed a lot of heart to get here and I'm confident they will represent the state of Ohio well in the competition," Gray said. "We hope the entire community gets behind these boys in their pursuit."
Senior League is one of six divisions of Little League Baseball and is for players ages 14-16. The other divisions are Tee Ball (for ages 5-6, and 7-8), Minor League (commonly known as "farm league" in many places and for ages 7-12), Major League (commonly known simply as "Little League" and for ages 9-12), Junior League (for ages 13-14), and Big League (for ages 16-18). There is also a Challenger Division, for players with some disabilities.
Lauren International, initially Lauren Manufacturing Company, was founded in 1965 by Dale Lauren Foland. Since its inception, the company has strongly encouraged participation in community organizations such as Little League.
For interviews, photos and more, contact Cindy Miller at 330.447.1717.