The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Junior Baseball League of Nassau will field a team with their sights set on qualification for a coveted spot in the Little League Baseball World Series.

The team of 11 to 12-year-olds will participate in the Little League Baseball Caribbean Regional Qualifier, to be hosted July 7-14 in St John, Antigua.

JBLN Commissioner Jeff Albury called the team "one of the most talented groups" in the division that the league has produced in quite some time.

"I think we have a good chance. This is one of our best groups at this age that has been around our league in about 8-10 years. That group included Kyle Simmons and Brandon Murray, so we have high hopes for these guys," he said. "It's tough competition and countries that have storied established programmes from the youth level straight through to the professional ranks are always tough to beat, but this is a talented group."

Simmons is currently playing in the Dominican Republic rookie league with the Pittsburgh Pirates organisation, while Murray is with the Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier League of the Independent Professional Baseball Federation.

Nine countries will be represented at the Caribbean Regionals, including Puerto Rico, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda and Jamaica.

The winner of the tournament will advance to play in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The JBLN team earned their spot by virtue of winning the divisional title at the BBF National Championships. Jeffrey Walcott, Victor Cartwright and Mike Gomez will coach the team of 14 players.

The Latin America and the Caribbean Little League district administrator for the Bahamas, Eddie Claud, sanctioned the team.

"We finished third in 2012 in Puerto Rico in that elimination tournament and we nearly got into the finals when we lost to the Dominican Republic," Albury said. "It is a tall order because the Little League World Series is probably the most prominent and publicised of any youth baseball event. It is broadcast live on ESPN and the finals are on ABC. There are only 16 teams that qualify, eight in the United States, eight international, and just one team represents this region. To make it out of the Caribbean or Latin America region is quite an achievement."

Each of the eight international regions: Asia-Pacific, Australia, Canada, Caribbean, Europe-Africa, Japan, Latin America and Mexico will contest their regional tournaments this month.

The United States Divisions take place in early August and the LLBWS takes place August 17-27 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.