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LEWISTOWN -- The Mifflin County Babe Ruth 15-16-year-old All-Stars start the tournament trail on Thursday in Williamsport, with the Mid-Atlantic Regionals being the first step.
There will be three games before the semifinals and finals. Mifflin County will open play against Scranton on Thursday at 5 p.m. Then on Friday, at 8 p.m, Mifflin County plays Atlantic Shore (Atlantic City) and on Saturday at 8 p.m., Mifflin County takes on the host team, West End, at 7 p.m. The semifinals and the finals will be on Sunday. The three games before the semi-finals and finals are for placement.
There is no state tournament this year, so the winner of the Mid-Atlantic's in Williamsport will advance to the World Series in Branson, Mo.
The manager of the team is Denny Yetter of McVeytown, with Bo Trawitz, of Beaver Springs, and Travis Zook, of Reedsville, serving as his assistants.
Since there are only four teams in the regionals, Yetter will become the first Mifflin County manager to have four finishes in the Mid-Atlantic Final Four. In 2021, he managed the Mifflin County 13-year-olds to a second-place finish in the regionals losing only to Atlantic Shore in the finals. Atlantic Shore went on to win the national title. In 2023, Yetter took the 15-year-olds to a third place finish in the regionals and last summer, he managed the 14-year-olds to a second-place finish.
The old record was held by two longtime Mifflin County managers, Scott Reigle and Bill Corbin. Reigle had two championship teams, 2002, 15-year-olds and 2016, 13-year-olds and a third place finish in 2008 with a 15-year-old team. All of Corbin's success came just recently. In 2019, a 13-year-old team placed third and in 2021 (15-year-olds ) and 2022 (14-year-olds ) won titles.
Yetter goes into the postseason with an 83-62 record. He has a 68-52 record at McVeytown and is 15-10 with the Mifflin County All-Stars. In 2021, Yetter managed the Mifflin County 13-year-olds to a state title.
This will mark the 22nd time that a Mifflin County team has finished in the regional final four. Mifflin County was the only league in the state to send all three of its teams to a regional tournament. When the 13-year-old regional starts on July 25, Mifflin County will have the most regional appearances for any team in Pennsylvania, 41, a state Babe Ruth record. (The 14-year-old tournament starts on Friday.)
PLAYERS
The top two teams in the league dominated the 15-16-year-old All-Star team. League champion Beaver Springs placed four players on the team, Colton Aumiller, Haven Bridge, Maverick Smith and Max Trawitz.
Second place Reedsville also had four players named to the team Noah Bunch, Cam Kauffman, Caden McClure and Jude Zook.
McVeytown had two players named to the All-Star team, Jett Powell and Landen Pecht. Milroy, Burnham and Belltown each have one player on the team, Kooper Walters (Milroy); Liam Shaffer (Burnham) and Luke Shawver (Belltown).
Shaffer, Shawver and Zook are four time All-Stars. They are just the 12th, 13th, and 14th all-time. Three-time All-Stars include Powell, McClure, Bunch, Kauffman, Aumiller. Trawitz and Walters. Pecht is a two time All-Star. First time All-Stars are Bridge and Smith.
STATISTICS
Last year's Mifflin County 15-16-year-old All-Star team had a 7-3 record. Mifflin County lost all three games to West End. Mifflin County finished as the Pennsylvania runner-up and the Mid-Atlantic runner-up. West End was second in the World Series in of all places, Branson, Missouri.
Mifflin County enters the postseason with a record of 783-367. In Pennsylvania it holds records for state championships, 25; state runners-up, 28; state finals, 53 and final four appearances, 90. Mifflin County has won six regional titles, been to six World Series, finished in the top 10 all six times, had two national runners-up and one national champion.
NOTES -- Mifflin County's record at Williamsport is 52-39 and this will be the third regional tournament. ... There were two Smith's named to the All-Star teams this year, Maverick Smith on the 15-16-year-old team and Maddox Smith on the 14-year-old team. That gives the Smith name 14 All-Stars and moves it into sixth place on the name list. The number one name for Mifflin County All-Stars is Yoder with 24. ... There were 19 new All-Stars on the three teams and that gives Mifflin County 1,293 players for the past 72 years (16 spots were not found in the early years).