Wilson is hosting its first Babe Ruth World Series for 13-year-old boys. It is the latest honor for a town that loves its baseball. Kathy North and her family flew all the way from Utah to cheer on her son, Taylor.
"Less than one percent of young men out there ever get here. The number of young men who get to participate is minimal, so for us, it's just a big, huge deal," she says.
It is also a big huge deal for the players. Wilson and Wayne County athletes are competing with boys from Minnesota and Utah who would love to win it all.
"[It's] kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and you don't get a chance every year to do it, and we were lucky enough this year to have a chance to do it," says Wayne County player Adam Williams.
Besides the money that the 10 teams will spend here, Wilson can pile on more good PR among the baseball faithful.
"The goal is to try to make teams want to come back to Wilson, whether they win the trophy or lose, it doesn't matter," says host president Mickey Davis. "Our people give 100 percent. Hospitality, that's the key thing."
The tournament is expected to bring in more than $200,000 to the community.
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