By Dan Bechtold, Editor
The Winner community is getting ready to roll out the red carpet to welcome fans to the state Class B American Legion baseball tournament.
The tourney starts July 21 and runs until July 25.
The last time Winner hosted the state tournament was in 2011 and 2006.
Since February, a committee has been working hard preparing for the state meet. It has taken a lot of work and a lot of volunteer help but things are coming together.
On recent nights when there have been ball game at Leahy Bowl, there has been some type of committee meeting putting on the final touches to make this a great tournament and a very enjoyable experience for those traveling to Winner.
Fueled by the experience parents had last year at the state meet in Webster, they want to duplicate that effort.
Leahy Bowl is looking good and there has been a lot of volunteer hours working the field.
There have been several improvements made to Leahy Bowl. There are new light towers, new seating with a canopy over a portion of the stadium seats.
There is playground equipment for children to enjoy while their parents are watching the game.
There is a new colorful sign at the entrance of Leahy Bowl. A beautiful sight will be the 19 flags that line the the road to the baseball field. The Winner Rotary Club purchased the signs.
Mardi Pederson, a member of the organizing committee, said there will be welcome signs posted at Leahy Bowl. In addition, to add a little color, there will be large flower pots dotted around the baseball complex.
Pederson said the parent group has put in a lot of time working on the field.
“I am hoping that the people who come to Winner will have the same experience we had last year in Webster. I hope the visitors come away feeling like Winner really rolled out the red carpet and were very welcoming to them,” said Pederson.
She said at the ball field, several volunteers will be wearing Winner/Colome t shirts so visitors know who to go to if they have questions.
Pederson added the committee will make one final sweep of the ball field and the Leahy Bowl grounds Thursday evening to take sure everything is in place for the opening game on Friday.
The opening ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday.
Here are the pairings for the first round games on Friday.
10 a.m.—Groton vs. Vermillion
30 min after first game—Milbank vs. Spearfish
5 p.m.—Dell Rapids vs. Platte/Geddes
7:30—Winner/Colome vs. McCook/Miner
The tournament will continue Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
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