Dixie Youth pitching machine tournament set

BY: TRACEY JAGNEAUX
Sports Editor

Sixteen teams will invade the city of Ville Platte to vie for the Dixie Youth district seven pitching machine title. The tournament is slated to begin today at the Evangeline Recreational District complex in Ville Platte. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
The format of the tournament is a bit unusual. There are two eight team brackets. The eight teams in each bracket will play double elimination throughout their bracket. The winners of each bracket will meet in a one game winner take all championship game.
Each game will have a one hour and fifteen minute time limit. If an inning has been started before the time limit expires, the inning will be completed.
The district will send the top five teams to the state tournament to be held July 9-12 in Concordia. The state winner will move on to the World Series to be held August 3-6 in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Three parish teams will be participating in the district tournament. Ville Platte, Mamou and Pine Prairie were all placed in the same bracket. Ville Platte will open play today at 7:30 p.m. against DeQuincy. Mamou is slated to take on Vernon National today at 6 p.m. The Pine Prairie all-stars will face off against Beauregard on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Tournaments, such as the district tournament, bring teams and fans from all around the state to our city. According to Mayor Jennifer Vidrine, this is an incredible boost for the local businesses.
“Having big tournaments has a tremendous economic impact on the city,” said Vidrine. “We get to show off our great people and our great food. People get to see how hospitable the citizens of Ville Platte are. All of our businesses and services that Ville Platte has to offer are highlighted and that makes people want to come back.”
Vidrine pointed out the impact of these types of events on economic development in the city. “We are working on getting another hotel in Ville Platte, so that we can host all different types of events,” stated Vidrine. “This way people can stay here instead of having to be housed outside of the city.”
The Mayor was also complemented park director Thomas Scully. “He (Scully) is doing an amazing job keeping the park in great shape,” commented Vidrine. “He is also very proactive in getting organizations to play their tournaments at the complex.”