Little League Seniors return with trophies

PHILIPSBURG-The St. Maarten Little League age 14 to 16 selection team returned home from the Latin American Senior division championship in Yabuco, Puerto Rico carrying two trophies. Rickel Martina received a trophy for base running and Thomas "TB" Burnett won an award for catching.
Between the first round of play and the semifinals, tournament organizers hosted a series of three competitions. The athletes were invited to compete in a home run derby, base running, home to home for a total of 360 feet and the catchers were timed from the time a baseball hit their mitt until they rifled the ball to second base.
Martina ran the diamond in 15.2 seconds to take second place. First place went to Puerto Rico with a time of 14.6.
Burnett won his trophy with a time of 2.13 seconds. The catcher from Puerto Rico took first place at 2.0 seconds. Prospects for the Major League are expected to break 2.0 seconds.
Aruba won the Latin American Senior division championship and will compete in the Little League World Series that will be held in Bangor, Maine August 16 to 22. Aruba defeated Puerto Rico Champions in the final 19-2.
St. Maarten finished the competition going 0-5. The Friendly Island lost to Bonaire 10-17, 11-1 to Aruba, 6-0 to Puerto Rico Sub Champion, 14-4 to Columbia and to Panama.
Twelve teams competed for the right to advance to the Little League World Series. The competition was divided into two pools.
St. Maarten was in Pool B with Aruba 5-0, Panama, Puerto Rico Sub Champions and Colombia at 3-2 followed by Bonaire at 1-4. In Pool B were Venezuela 4-1, Puerto Rico Champions 4-1, Guatemala at 3-2 followed by Dominican Republic, 2-3; Curacao 2-3 and Virgin Islands at 0-5.
Carlos Meyers was the best batter for St. Maarten. In 15 plate appearances he ended the tournament with a .417 batting average. Meyers had four singles and one triple. He scored twice and drove in two runs. He drew one walk and struck out once.
Team mates Adonis Jacobs and Denzel Richardson both hit .333 and Edwin Hayes averaged .308. Richardson was the team's best pitcher. He worked 7.1 innings, faced 38 batters and struck out five while giving up eight runs.

LITTLE LEAGUE WHITE PAPER

Dear Little League Friends:

For more than a half-century, Little League International has maintained extensive records on injuries in Little League games and practices. These records have been used over the years to monitor trends and, when necessary, to effect positive changes in the Rules and Regulations. .

In many cases, these changes have eventually been adopted in other youth baseball and softball programs, as well as professional baseball. It is just one of the many aspects of Little League that sets us apart from all other youth baseball and softball programs.

For the first time, Little League International has produced a comprehensive report on the history of Little League's efforts and accomplishments regarding the wellbeing of its participants and volunteers. This white paper entitled "Hits and Runs, Bumps and Bruises: Health, Safety and Injury Prevention are the Keystone of Little League" provides an extensive review of advancements in these areas.

We invite you to review this important document, produced by the Little League International Communications Division. The white paper can be found at the Little League International web site by clicking on the link to the PDF below.

Sincerely,
Little League International
P.O. Box 3485
539 US Route 15 Hwy
Williamsport, PA 17701-0485
Phone: 570-326-1921
Fax: 570-326-1074

SCHEDULE 2009

St. Maarten / Netherlands Antilles /email:info@sxmbaseball.com