AUGUSTA — Central Maine will be the hub of baseball activity for the next 17 days with several different tournaments crowning state champions.

Babe Ruth and American Legion baseball have state tournaments scheduled for Augusta’s CARA Sports Complex through the end of the month. Tournaments will also be held in Waterville and Skowhegan.

The action at CARA begins Thursday with the state Babe Ruth 15-and-under All-Star tournament featuring Apple Valley and defending champion and host Augusta.

Apple Valley, which includes Sabattus, Readfield, Winthrop and surrounding towns, open the tournament at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Augusta is scheduled to begin its pool play with two games on Friday — at 2:30 p.m. against Portland and at 5 p.m. against Tri-County.

Augusta and Apple Valley have become familiar foes in All-Star competition in recent years, most recently meeting twice during last week’s District 2 tournament. Augusta won both games — 5-2 and then 5-4 in the district championship.

With Augusta receiving an automatic bid to the state tournament as the host team, Apple Valley earned a berth as runner-up. Augusta coach Jeremy Porter said this is the third year in a row players from both teams have faced each other in a state tournament.

Augusta has a completely new roster and new coach from last year’s state champion, Porter said. The roster drawn from the seven-team league is dominated by players from the Gardiner area and only has three who didn’t play for last year’s 14-year-old all-star squad, which has helped the team jell.

“We’ve practiced quite extensively because we had so little time and we’ve got a team that didn’t play together most of the Babe Ruth (regular) season,” he said. “We have to get to know each other pretty quickly.”

Sanford rounds out the five-team field. The championship game is slated for Monday at 5 p.m.

“It should be some really good baseball,” Porter said. “Obviously, we’re familiar with Augusta and Andy Valley and I’m expecting the other teams should be similarly competitive.”

Augusta will also be represented in one of two other state Babe Ruth tournaments beginning on Thursday. Augusta opens pool play in the 13-year-old tournament against Scarborough/South Portland at Legion Field in Falmouth.

The 14U tournament will be held at the RADR Complex in Harrison, with Portland and Apple Valley playing the opener at 5:30 p.m. Central Maine, which includes Fairfield, Skowhegan, Waterville, Winslow and surrounding towns, kicks off its pool play against Tri-County at 6 p.m. on Friday.

After the Babe Ruth 15U champion is crowned, CARA will become the center for American Legion baseball. The Senior American Legion Zone 2 tournament semifinals and final are July 19-20. The winner and runner-up of Zones 1 and 2 will be back in Augusta for the state tournament on July 27-31.

The state Junior American Legion tournament is at Colby College July 23-26.

Cal Ripken state tournaments continue this weekend with the 9U tournament featuring teams from Fairfield, Messalonskee and Skowhegan at the RADR Complex in Harrison. Skowhegan is competing in the 11U tournament at Bridgton’s Ham Complex, then will host the New England regionals at the Carl R. Wright Baseball Complex starting July 29.

The 10U and 12U state titles were decided last week, with Andy Valley winning the former and Lisbon the latter.