A parade is being held in Downtown Ocala on Sunday, July 30, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., to welcome the visiting youth baseball teams that are competing in the Cal Ripken World Series.
Over 20 teams from across the country and abroad will be visiting Ocala/Marion County on Friday, July 28 through Saturday, August 5 for the Cal Ripken 8U, 9U, & 11U World Series, which is a tournament by the Babe Ruth League, Inc.
The week-long tournament will be the seventh World Series hosted in Marion County at the Ocala Rotary Sportsplex (5220 SE Maricamp Road in Ocala) since 2010.
On Sunday, July 30, all the youth teams will be announced and paraded around the Ocala Downtown Square as they proudly wave their state flags and team banners. Immediately following the parade, community leaders including Chairman Craig Curry, Marion County Board of County Commissioners, and Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn will welcome the teams gathered on the square.
In the event that the parade is cancelled due to inclement weather, the opening ceremonies will be held at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 31 at the Ocala Rotary Sportsplex.
The participating teams are visiting from Florida, Connecticut, New Jersey, Kentucky, Alabama, Massachusetts, Delaware, Hawaii, and the Bahamas.
The tournament games will be played at the Ocala Rotary Sportsplex on Monday, July 31 through Saturday, August 5. The World Series will conclude with all three championship games on Saturday, August 5.
For game schedules, or to watch a live stream of the games, visit the Babe Ruth World Series website.
Marion County was chosen as the host again this summer thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Marion County Board of County Commissioners, Marion County Parks and Recreation Department, Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau, Rotary Sportsplex Board of Directors, and the county’s tourism industry.
The week-long youth baseball tournament is expected to bring more than $1.6 million in economic impact to Marion County.