After winning last year’s Ohio Valley Cal Ripken Babe Ruth State Tournament, Owensboro Western 11U All-Stars’ season came to an early end due to unforeseen circumstances. As the majority of the roster stayed together to compete at the 12U level, they used not being able to continue their playoff run as motivation.
Riding hot bats and dominant pitching, Owensboro Western blitzed their way past Breckinridge County12U All-Stars 12-4 in the State Championship and Vincennes 12U 10-6 in the Region Championship to punch their ticket to the 2026 Cal Ripken Babe Ruth World Series.
“It is overwhelming. Many of these kids have been playing baseball since they were three to four years and thinking that this is what they wanted to do,” Head Coach Derek Bray said. “For all of them, their dreams are coming true, and I couldn’t be happier for these kids. The chemistry they have between themselves and the growth they have shown over the last few months is amazing.”
In the Region Championship game against Vincennes 12U, Owensboro Western jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to a Keagen Bray RBI double and Reid McCrystal’s two run homer. Owensboro Western padded their lead throughout the game, adding one run in the second and third, two in the fourth, and three in the fifth – highlighted by Bray’s solo homer.
Leading 10-1 in the sixth, Vincennes started to claw away at the lead, scoring five runs, before Wyatt Conklin recorded the final out. Bray and McCrystal both homered and combined for four hits and five RBIs, Sebastian Posadas finished 3-3 with two RBIs, and Reece Wells and Kaycen Holeman both drove in runs. Posadas threw four shutout innings on the mound, while Conklin pitched the last two innings in relief.
The World Series is scheduled to take place from Aug 5-16 in Branson, Missouri, at the Ballparks of America. Broke up into groups of five for a single round robin, the top two teams from each pool with advance to the main tournament.
Owensboro Western is set to take on South Lexington Red on the 7th at 8:30 a.m. CDT, Newtown, Connecticut at 10:45 a.m. on the 8th, Branson at 9:00 a.m. on the 9th, and Southeast Denver at 10:45 a.m. on the 10th.
“These kids are over the moon,” Bray said. “My son hasn’t stopped smiling and talking about it. They can’t stop talking about it in their group chat. They have been playing baseball since they were as young as 2 years old, and this is every 12-year-old’s dream. To play in the World Series.”
