PITTSFIELD, MA (June 26, 2023) – Pittsfield Babe Ruth has been chosen to host the 2023 New England Regional Babe Ruth tournament for the 13–15-year-old age group starting on July 21st and concluding on July 25th. The venue for the event is the historic Wahconah Park stadium in Pittsfield, MA.
Eight teams from across New England will travel to Pittsfield in July to compete in this event, which will include Pittsfield Babe Ruth’s 15-year-old All Star Team. The event will have 12 games of pool play from Friday, July 21 through Sunday, July 23. Bracket play begins on Monday, July 24 and the semi-finals and championship game will be played on Tuesday, July 25.
Pittsfield Babe Ruth has partnered with Berkshire Bank to host the event. Many other local businesses have also provided sponsorships to support the tournament and help make it successful. Pittsfield Community Television (PCTV) will be broadcasting the games online throughout the tournament.
Wahconah Park is one of the oldest wooden grandstand ballparks in the United States, having been constructed in 1919. The stadium seats 4,500 but is currently undergoing a planned reconstruction and temporary bleachers have been installed to keep the park functional for baseball. Wahconah park has been home to many minor league baseball teams and is the current home of the Pittsfield Suns, a collegiate summer baseball team.
Pittsfield Babe Ruth Baseball League, the host league, is one of the 10 oldest Babe Ruth leagues in the nation and has been serving the community of Pittsfield for over 70 years. Pittsfield Babe Ruth has been very successful in Babe Ruth Tournament play, most recently reaching the final game of the 13-year-old World Series in 2022.
The league has also produced numerous State Champion teams including 9 consecutive Championships in the 13–15-year-old division, 5 of the last 6 Championships in the 14-year-old division, and 6 straight championships in the 13-year-old division. Pittsfield Babe Ruth represented the New England Region in the Babe Ruth World Series in the 13-15 division in 2015 and in the 13-year-old division in 1993 and 2019.
Pittsfield, and the Berkshire’s, have a rich tradition of baseball, including hosting the first ever college baseball game between Williams College and Amherst College in 1859. Pittsfield also claims to have the oldest written reference to the game of baseball which dates to 1791. Pittsfield last hosted a regional tournament for
baseball in 1993. For media information on the tournament or its host league, please contact David
Wildgoose (518-469-4246, davewildgoose@gmail.com).
