Cal Ripken 9U Baseball Tournament Coming To Moorestown

MOORESTOWN, NJ — A major baseball tournament is set to take the stage in Moorestown later this month.

The Moorestown 9U baseball team, which won the 2018 Cal Ripken 8U New Jersey State Championship last year, will host the 9U Middle Atlantic Regional tournament at Pryor Park in Moorestown July 20-25.

“It’s great exposure for our town and team,” Moorestown head coach Adam Gerber said. “For Moorestown, we want to be looked at as one of the leaders in Cal Ripken. Not every town has the ability to host an event like this.”

All participating teams will be featured in the Opening Ceremony on Friday, July 19, 5:45 p.m. This will be followed by a skills competition. The tournament begins on Saturday, July 20, at both the upper and lower fields of Pryor Park on the corner of Salem Crossing and Hartford Road. The final will take place at Pryor Park on Thursday, July 25, 6:30 p.m.

As the host, Moorestown is guaranteed a spot in the tournament. It will be joined by nine champions from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and Maryland. The tournament format is double elimination.

When the Moorestown Youth Softball Association was campaigning for upgrades to their fields earlier this year, it cited the ability to host tournaments as both a reason to follow through with the upgrades and a way to raise money to help pay for it.

According to Moorestown Baseball, the Cal Ripken tournament could generate as much as about $75,000 for local businesses.

“Most teams won’t commute when there’s five days of games,” Gerber said. “Our parents have been working tirelessly to prepare for this event and local sponsors have stepped up to create a welcoming atmosphere for these nine teams and their families. We’re looking forward to showcasing our town.”

The Moorestown 9U reigning state champs includes Brandon Cohen, Jake Eckert, JT Frey, Alex Gerber, Nick McCabe, Gabe Petrocco, Brennan Pica, Alex Pietranik, Jack Roth, Michael Schaffer, Marco Silva and Liam Suydam. Assisting head coach Gerber are coaches Ben Cohen, Ed Eckert, Pete Pietranik and Mike Schaffer.