What a way to kick off the 2026 Babe Ruth Southwest Region Tournament! ⚾🦆

Teams from across the region gathered at West Monroe Sports & Events for an Opening Ceremonies celebration full of Duck Commander fun, including a Duck Call Derby where coaches gave us their best duck calls before an exciting weekend of baseball.

A heartfelt thank you to Eugene Reynolds, Southwest Commissioner for Babe Ruth Baseball, and Michael Solanik, National Commissioner for Babe Ruth Baseball, for trusting Monroe-West Monroe with this incredible tournament.

We’re also grateful to Kerry Elee and the team at 2 Seam Baseball and Sterlington Sports Complex, along with Gene Crain and the staff at Ouachita Sportsplex, for hosting this weekend’s games.

Thank you to the Louisiana Purchase Gardens & Zoo, Zoo Director Phillip Crawley, and General Curator Lisa Taylor for bringing the Zoo to You program and giving players a chance to experience some amazing animals.

A special thank you to Tammi Arrender with 88.7 The Cross for the opening prayer, Carson Taylor for an outstanding performance of the National Anthem on the fiddle, and Coach Bill Pearson with Pearson Baseball Academy for sharing words of encouragement with the teams.

We also appreciate our Duck Call Derby judges from Duck Commander – Michael McVay, Cade Clayton, and Jay Stone – for helping make the evening so much fun, and thank you to Rickey Robertson with Macaroni KID Monroe-West Monroe La for keeping the energy high as our emcee for the night.

Thank you to everyone who helped make Opening Ceremonies such a memorable celebration. It was truly a great way to start off an impressive weekend of baseball competition!

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