Connie Mack Regional Tournament in Battle Creek

Are you playing in Bailey Park?

yes, In the Bailey Park Complex

Good luck, it would be great to see a team from Illinois make it to the Mack!

Good luck to the Sparks too!!!!!

Do you have to win the Mack State tournament to get into the regional or can anyone get in? If Top Tier and the Sparks are in it, I guess that answers my question.

MMR, I could be very wrong, but I don't believe that the Sparks played in the Illinois State Tournament. If not, I don't know where they played to qualify for the regionals or why. Again, I could be mistaken.

Today we won 5-4 in round 1 against a tough Michigan team. Led by a 13 hit attack. Highlights - WP - John Flanagan Pete Cappetta 4 for 4 1 HR, 2 doubles.

You do have to qualify to make the Connie Mack Regionals. This past week we won our 4th consecutive state championship.

The Sparks are not playing at the Connie Mack regionals. They must be playing in some other type of event. Good luck to them as well.

So, the Sparks are not palying in the tournament? I heard they were? Anyone out know the situation

That's news to me. My son was playing Sparks until he had to leave for West Point three weeks ago, and up until that point I was under the impression that they were going to play Connie Mack.

any scores from the Sparks games?????

It is my understanding that the sparks were scheduled to play, but something happened. Don't know what the deciding factor was.

It appears that someone pulled the plugwires on them playing in Battle Creek...

Heard thru the grapevine that the Sparks pulled out of the state tourn in Ottawa and tried to get the tourn director to just let them in up in Battlecreek....Needless to say they are not there and their coach has some explaining to do to the parents and players on his team.

BZBALL, What grapevine have you been drinking?? The Sparks are a top program. Find this hard to believe..

CPLZ you have a PM

Reggies, I guess we won't know what happened until someone from that team steps up and let's us know. What I believe is that every team participating in any of the CM regionals around the country got there by finishing either 1st or 2nd in their respective state tournaments. I think it has been that way for a long time, at least in Illinois. How or why any team would think that they could get into a regional after not playing in the state tournament is a new one on me, but I'm no expert on how Connie Mack works. I say let's wait and hear from someone close to the situation.

The AABC runs Connie Mack Baseball. The reason I mention it is that while my son played for a Travel Team at 14, their big goal was the AABC State and then the Regional Tourney. They needed to qualify and had a few chances to do it but failed. Nonetheless they did in fact play in The AABC State Championships that year even though they failed to qualify.

Perhaps they at that time and The Sparks this year were told they could fill in for a Team that qualified but did not go to State.

The AABC has allowed it in the past.

Hi FBD,

I also remember when the boys were younger about teams getting to play in the STATE tournament by one way or another. But how could a team advance to the regionals if they didn't play in the state tournament?

BTW, how does the signing of Ted Lilly look now?

Top Tier just advanced to the final four of the tournament.