Beaufort County to host Dixie Boys World Series

Beaufort County is to set to play host to the Dixie Boys World Series on Saturday through Wednesday.

The popular baseball tournament has set the stage for youngsters to showcase their talent for nearly five decades. This year’s bracket consists of 12 teams in each of the 13U and 14U divisions with four coaches and 13 players per team.

Head coach Brandon Hage will lead the Beaufort County 13U All-Star Team. The coaches are hoping people will take notice of the talented players in the Lowcountry.

“I think the most important reason for playing a tournament of this caliber is to just see where you stand on a national or regional level or how you stack up against the talent from other areas in the country,” Hage said. “If we have a great showing, it will be nice to put Beaufort County on the map, if you will.”

The teams’ earned an automatic bid into the tourney as the host.

Hage said the players are trying to take in every moment leading up to the big week.

“It has been extremely exciting for both myself and my guys,” Hage said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I have done my best to relay the importance of soaking it all in to each of my players. This is something both the kids and myself will remember for the rest of our lives.”

14U head coach Brian Laing said he is happy for the opportunity to face off against some of the best competition in the country.

“Our Beaufort County All Star Team is loaded with top high school underclassman talent that should make us very competitive in this event,” he said in a news release.

Almost all the 14U players have played varsity and junior varsity innings at local high schools, such as Bluffton, Beaufort, Hilton Head Island, John Paul II, Hilton Head Prep and May River.

“For the past 7 years, Beaufort County has been known for having some of the best baseball talent in the Southeastern United States for this age group. It sure is going to be nice having all these players on one team for the first time instead of trying to kick each others teeth in,” 14U third base coach Rex Smith said in the release.

“Not every rec ball player gets this opportunity, so it motivates the younger ones,” said Shannon Loper director of Beaufort County Parks and Leisure Services.

Teams will be coming in from states such as Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Virginia.

“These are all teams representing their states,” Hage said. “They all played local and state tournaments to get to this point.”

Hage believes his team is loaded with stars. Look for Matthew Mebane to put on a show. The team’s leading hitter recently participated in the MLB Homerun Derby in Miami, Fla., in the junior division.

“I don’t like to single out individual players, as baseball is truly a team sport,” Hage said. “There are a few kids I could say help make this team what it is; however, each player is a vital part of the machine we call our team.”

The double elimination tournament will kick off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Oscar Frazier Park in Bluffton. Other games are scheduled for 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Both local teams will close competition on Opening Day in games starting at 7 p.m.

For more information and to download the bracket, go to bit.ly/dixieboysws. All games will be broadcast on a YouTube channel that can be accessed through the Dixie Boys World Series site.

This story was originally published August 2, 2017 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Beaufort County to host Dixie Boys World Series."