Coach Johnny Raybon of the Selma Pre Majors All Star team said the parents in the crowd have just as much fun as the boys that play in the field. Parents on Saturday carried in lawn chairs and cameras to watch the All Star games for the Selma Recreational League at Memorial Park even in the extreme heat.

The recreational league and the All-Star tournament give young men in the city a unique opportunity according to Raybon and parents always get behind the team and rally.

“It is something they can do without having to play on a travel team and it gives them an opportunity locally to play,” Raybon said. “If they are good enough to play on the all star team then they get to travel and experience state tournaments.”

Travel teams can cost parents thousands of dollars, not to mention days at a time dedicated to travel on traveling teams. Though those teams breed and produce expert players the level of pressure and the cost to be on the team can be overwhelming for some.

On Saturday the Selma Pre Majors defeated the Butler Pre Majors 10-5, giving them the overall tournament win. They will go to Ozark next week to compete in the state tournament.

Raybon said that without this league some of the players would never have the opportunity to play.

Even students that do have the opportunity to play in travel tournaments still enjoy the fun teamwork atmosphere of the city recreational league.

Blake Fancher said his son Ethan will play college baseball at Mississippi Valley State in the fall but he still wanted to play on the city league this spring.

“This is an opportunity to play with different people,” Fancher said. “Most of these kids know each other but don’t always get to play with each other.”