DUBOIS, Pa. – The City of DuBois has been chosen to host the 2023 through 2025 Junior Little League Eastern Regionals.
Junior Little League, run by Little League International, is for 13 and 14-year-olds.
“It is something we have always wanted,” DuBois City Manager Herm Suplizio told the YDL Sports Network Friday afternoon. “DuBois has always been a baseball town, and this is something we have wanted from Day 1.
“It is really for multiple reasons. We want to show off our area and our people, but there is also the economic boast.”
Suplizio believes the economic boast can be as big if not bigger than the Small College World Series, which DuBois has hosted for the last few years at both Heindl Field and Showers Field.
“This is a huge, huge economic boast such as the Small College World Series,” Suplizio said. “People eat here, people stay here, people shop here.”
Suplizio said the tournament will utilize both Showers Field and Stern Family Field.
“The first two days of the tournament, we will use both fields,” Suplizio said. “We will then go down to one field after that.”
Suplizio said a decision on which field will be utilized for the final rounds.
“Both have their advantages,” Suplizio said. “Showers, of course, has the minor league stadium fell to it, Stern is located right there in our park with other things to do including the swimming pool and other things for little kids. Both are great facilities. We haven’t made a decision yet.”
The tournament could host up to 13 teams, and the winner of the host Little League District (in this case District 10, which runs from Punxsutawney in the south up through DuBois to St. Marys and Bradford and both west to Warren and east to Potter/McKean County) gets an automatic bid.
The 2023 tournament can start as early as July 31 and end as late as Aug. 10 (dates have not been finalized).
The Junior League Eastern Regional was held last year in Freehold Township, N.J.
“This is a 3-year opportunity to start with, but hopefully it will be for longer,” Suplizio said.
