Two years ago, Skowhegan hosted the New England tournament for the Cal Ripken baseball 11-year old division. This summer, Skowhegan is preparing to host another New England tournament, but not before welcoming the state 12-year old tournament to town next week.

Eight teams from across Maine will begin play on Wednesday in the state 12-year old tournament. On July 30, Skowhegan will once again host the New England 11-year olds. The New England tournament will feature host Skowhegan and the Maine state champion, as well as state champions from Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Western Massachusetts, and Eastern Massachusetts.

For Skowhegan Cal Ripken, work began on hosting a New England tournament for the second time in three years last summer, when it applied to the New England board.

“A lot of work goes into this (tournament),” Rod Stevens, the director of the state 12-under tournament, said.

Selecting Skowhegan as a New England regional host for the second time in three years is a testament to the league’s hard work and organization, said Reggie Hatfield of Norridgewock, who became state Cal Ripken Commissioner in February.

“As far as leagues in Maine go, Skowhegan has one of the smallest populations, but the amount of volunteers they get is incredible,” Hatfield said.

Over the last decade, participation in youth baseball has dropped, but in some places, like Skowhegan, baseball has seen a bounce back in recent years. In 2006, Skowhegan had 136 kids taking part in Cal Ripken leagues, Stevens said. That dropped to the mid-80s a few years ago, but this summer around 100 kids are playing, Stevens said. Hatfield said that’s a statewide trend.

“We saw a four to six percent increase in growth this year,” Hatfield said.

The state 12-year old tournament begins on Wednesday, with games featuring Lisbon vs. Maranacook, and Gorham vs. River Valley. On Thursday, the first round continues with Andy Valley vs. Skowhegan and Auburn vs. Belfast. The double elimination tournament concludes with a championship game Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

The format for the New England tournament will be pool play, with the eight teams divided into two four-team divisions. The top two teams from each division will advance to the single elimination semifinals.

“Everyone gets at least three games,” Stevens said.

The state Cal Ripken tournament began on Friday, with the start of the 10-year old tournament in Mechanic Falls. The 9-year old tournament in Harrison and the 11-year old tournament in Bridgton each begin on July 16.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM