Babe Ruth 13-year-olds could be a bright future for the GHS baseball program

June 15, 2012

Third baseman Quade Wheeler applies a tag on a Hugoton base runner at home plate following a run down last night. Staff photo/John Plestina

The president of the Guymon Babe Ruth Baseball Association looks at the abundance of talented 13-year-old boys playing Babe Ruth ball as the future of the Guymon High School Tigers baseball program.
“These 13-year-olds are really going to reboot our high school program when they get there. These 13-year-olds are good,” said Phillip Caudell.
Guymon Babe Ruth Baseball dates back more than 35 years.
Caudell, who was a Guymon Babe Ruth ball player during the 1980s, has run the program for eight years.
Guymon plays in a West Texas league because there are too few Babe Ruth teams in the 13-15 age group in Oklahoma. Several annual competitors are from Western Kansas.
The 13-year-olds will play in a state tournament at Levelland, Texas.
Caudell said he is hoping to get the West Texas State Babe Ruth Tournament held in Guymon next year.
The 13-15 -year-old program is divided into two teams, Grey and Orange. The Grey hosted Hugoton in Guymon last night while Orange played the Horny Toad Babe Ruth team in Hooker.
There are currently 19 13-year-olds, four 14-year-olds and three 15-year-olds playing on the Grey and Orange teams combined.
Playing since May 29, Orange is 2-2 so far this year and Grey has struggled a little more.
“We’re really up against some experienced teams,” Caudell said.
Babe Ruth Baseball serves over 1 million players from ages 4-18 in Babe Ruth Baseball, Cal Ripken Baseball and Babe Ruth Softball.
Cal Ripkin Baseball, a program similar to Little League, serves children younger than 12. While it flourishes in West Texas and several other parts of the country, attempts to introduce it in Guymon have not been successful.