Local youth baseball teams wrapping up the summer

There is not sport that better exemplifies the summer than baseball. And in Havre, baseball is a big deal, especially among the younger ages, which makes it no surprise to see a number of local youth baseball All-Star teams competing across the state this summer.

Recently, these teams competed in state tournaments at their own age level and while Havre didn't crown any state champions this year, all the teams were competitive and there were plenty of moments where Havre youth baseball shined.

The oldest kids playing All-Star baseball where the 15U kids. Their age group is referred to as Babe Ruth and despite a 2-3 record at the state tournament and a defeat short of the championship game, the team had multiple standouts.

Tony Antley and Ethan Roberts, both of whom played for the Havre North Stars American Legion baseball team this summer, made their presence felt at the state tournament with home runs and game MVPs. Roberts was named game MVP in one of Havre's victories, while Antley won the award in the other. The first-year North Star athletes finished the state tournament with two home runs.

Another team that played a lot of baseball this summer was the Havre 10U team. The 10U All-Stars started their summer by winning the Conrad Invitational and also finished sixth at the Kalispell Firecracker tournament that boasted 22 teams from Montana, Washington, Idaho and Canada. They finished sixth in Kalispell and also second at a tournament hosted in Havre before travelling to Glasgow for the state tournament.

There were ups and downs for the 10U team at state, but thanks to a walk-off home run, Havre beat Glasgow 11-10 and wound up finishing fifth, among 11 total teams, after finishing with a 2-2 record.

The Havre 12U All-Stars came as close as any team to playing for a championship last weekend in Great Falls, finishing 2-1 in group play before meeting and eventually losing to Choteau/North Central in the semifinals. The Havre 12U team has competed in several tournaments including the big Choteau tourney this summer.

The Havre 11U All-Star team also won multiple games at the state tournament. The 9U team also made some noise at the state tournament, specifically Cash Keller, who won a home run derby contest. Matthew Lemer and Vann Morelli also earned play of the game awards.

While the All-Star state tournaments have been completed, there is still more youth baseball to be played. This weekend, Havre will host a 12U invitational at the Sixth Avenue Memorial Field that will feature the 12U and 11U teams, in the final tournament of their seasons. The tourney is Friday and Saturday in Havre.