On the Bosque Baseball Tournament bringing hundreds to Stephenville this weekend

10U Sox 04 — The Stephenville Sox baseball organization will comprise five of the 26 teams competing in the summer version of Baseball on the Bosque Saturday and Sunday at Stephenville City Park and at James T. Young Field behind Stephenville High School. || File photo from previous Baseball on the Bosque event

By BRAD KEITH

TheFlashToday.com

STEPHENVILLE (June 10, 2016) — The Stephenville Sox select baseball organization and Stephenville City Park are hosting the On the Bosque Baseball Tournament, bringing 24 teams and more than 200 families to Stephenville this weekend.

Games begin at 8 a.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday with championship bouts starting about 4 or 5:45 p.m. Sunday, says Stephenville Sox director Keith Philips. The Sox will have teams in all four age divisions – 9U, 11U, 12U, 13U – and the Stephenville Stampede will be in the 9U tournament.

“We like it when our boys get to play here in Stephenville and stay at home but still compete against the same quality teams we would if we were in Waco or Austin or wherever,” Philips explained. “This brings the type of baseball we want to play here to Stephenville and allows the community to see what select baseball is about. It gets parents and kids excited about playing baseball in Stephenville.”

And is a boom to the local economy. With games scheduled well into the evening Saturday and teams coming from as far off as Wichita Falls, it’s a safe bet many families will be staying in local hotels, eating at local restaurants and, of course, filling up their gas tanks at local convenience stores.

“Being centralized in Stephenville, we get a good variety of teams from the (Dallas-Fort Worth) Metroplex, from west around the Abilene area, south around the Waco area and even Wichita Falls,” Philips said. “We’ll get to see how select baseball is played in a lot of different areas.”

It’s the second big tournament the Sox have hosted this season, and Philips says it takes the efforts of many to make it possible.

“Tommy Procise is tournament director and does a great job, and of course, all our parents help run the tournament, too,” Philips said. “None of this would be possible without their help.

“We’ve had a great time getting to host tournaments in Stephenville,” he continued. “I think it’s a win-win all around – for the community, the park, the city and the kids.”