MB Heaters Take on Team Germany in 12U Baseball
Mar 27, 2015 03:51PM ● By Mb News Staff
The German National Little League team as they leave germany for the U.S. to play against teams from Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Redondo Beach, and other areas.
An international spotlight comes down on Manhattan Beach Saturday when the German National Little League team arrives to take on Manhattan Beach's Heaters, coached by former Los Angeles Dodger Eric Karros, at the East field Marine Avenue Park at at 9 a.m.
The game is part of the 4th Annual 12 and Under Los Angeles International Baseball Tournament (aka Beach City Spring Classic Tournament) staged by Beach City Baseball Academy, a dedicated and long-time sponsor of Manhattan Beach Little League, based in El Segundo. The weekend tournament's pool play games will take place Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29 at Marine Avenue Park and El Segundo Recreation Park, 401 Sheldon St., El Segundo.
Other teams in the tournament are South Bay Surf, South Bay Krakens, Redondo Beach Samurai, El Segundo Little League and North Torrance Little League.
“Sports are an incredible way to bring people and communities together, and team activities have been continuously proven to help children build confidence and improve social skills," said Murad. "It’s especially fun for the local Los Angeles families that host the boys in their homes.”
The MB Heaters will play against Beach City Baseball Academy's Beach City Prospects Saturday at 3 p.m. at Brett Field at El Segundo Recreation Park, 401 Sheldon St., El Segundo.
The snack stand at Marine Avenue Park will be open during all tournament games at the Marine fields. Manhattan Beach Youth Athletics will operate the snack stand.
In its previous three tournaments, Beach City Baseball Academy has hosted the Little League World Champion team from Japan, Kitasuna of Tokyo. When the Japanese team was unavailable this year, the Academy turned to Germany to host a team.
“We are very grateful that the German team accepted our invitation because we want to expose Southern Californian players to the amazing and fun experience of sharing the common language of baseball across distinct cultures," said Murad.
An exhibition game between Team Germany and the Beach City Prospects will be held tonight (Friday, March 27) at 7 p.m. at El Segundo Recreation Park.
Last August, the MB Heaters, under Coach Keith Ramsey and Assistant Coach Eric Karros, competed in the National American Tournament of Champions held in Cooperstown, New York, at Cooperstown Dreams Park. The Heaters finished in the top 16 out of 104 teams from all over the country, going 6-0 in pool play, their only loss coming at the hands of the West Michigan Black Sox, who beat them 6-5.
To see the tournament schedule and bracket, visit this page on the Beach City Baseball Academy website.
The game is part of the 4th Annual 12 and Under Los Angeles International Baseball Tournament (aka Beach City Spring Classic Tournament) staged by Beach City Baseball Academy, a dedicated and long-time sponsor of Manhattan Beach Little League, based in El Segundo. The weekend tournament's pool play games will take place Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29 at Marine Avenue Park and El Segundo Recreation Park, 401 Sheldon St., El Segundo.
Other teams in the tournament are South Bay Surf, South Bay Krakens, Redondo Beach Samurai, El Segundo Little League and North Torrance Little League.
“It should be an exciting tournament” said Beach City Baseball Academy Owner Richard Murad. “I expect to see some great baseball.”
The National Little League team from Germany trains at the Deutsche Baseball Akademie in Paderborn, Germany, which serves the entire nation. The academy's purpose is to scout, develop and coach kids from Germany in baseball. Donald Lutz ( Cincinnati Reds) and Max Kepler (Minnesota Twins), two notable U.S. major league baseball players, are graduates of the academy, which is a highly specialized, world-class training program that prepares students for play in the European Baseball Championships, the Baseball World Cup and a variety of other high-level tournaments in Europe and around the world.
“Sports are an incredible way to bring people and communities together, and team activities have been continuously proven to help children build confidence and improve social skills," said Murad. "It’s especially fun for the local Los Angeles families that host the boys in their homes.”
The MB Heaters will play against Beach City Baseball Academy's Beach City Prospects Saturday at 3 p.m. at Brett Field at El Segundo Recreation Park, 401 Sheldon St., El Segundo.
The snack stand at Marine Avenue Park will be open during all tournament games at the Marine fields. Manhattan Beach Youth Athletics will operate the snack stand.
In its previous three tournaments, Beach City Baseball Academy has hosted the Little League World Champion team from Japan, Kitasuna of Tokyo. When the Japanese team was unavailable this year, the Academy turned to Germany to host a team.
“We are very grateful that the German team accepted our invitation because we want to expose Southern Californian players to the amazing and fun experience of sharing the common language of baseball across distinct cultures," said Murad.
An exhibition game between Team Germany and the Beach City Prospects will be held tonight (Friday, March 27) at 7 p.m. at El Segundo Recreation Park.
Last August, the MB Heaters, under Coach Keith Ramsey and Assistant Coach Eric Karros, competed in the National American Tournament of Champions held in Cooperstown, New York, at Cooperstown Dreams Park. The Heaters finished in the top 16 out of 104 teams from all over the country, going 6-0 in pool play, their only loss coming at the hands of the West Michigan Black Sox, who beat them 6-5.
To see the tournament schedule and bracket, visit this page on the Beach City Baseball Academy website.
