It’s that time of year again. The 11th Annual Junior Sunbelt Classic baseball tournament is scheduled to begin in McAlester and Wilburton this week. The Sunbelt banquet is planned for Thursday night at the Southeast Expo Center and games are set to begin Friday morning and run through June 13.
Players who are entering their senior year of high school will be featured on teams from Arizona, California, Missouri, Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Ontario, Canada. Their will be two Oklahoma teams as always, with a pair of McAlester High School players representing our state on the Blue and Gold teams.
Justin Klusak, an outfielder and pitcher, will be on Oklahoma Blue, while Anthony Trevino, also a pitcher and outfielder, will be on Oklahoma’s Gold team.
The featured guests at this year’s banquet will be former major league baseball players P.D. and Jackie Brown. The Brown brothers are both graduates of Moss High School and originally signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.
P.D. Brown pitched four seasons for the Phillies from 1961-63 and also 1968. P.D. appeared in 36 games for Philadelphia with 23 of those games coming in his second year in the big leagues.
Jackie Brown played in seven big league seasons starting in 1970 with the Washington Senators. Jackie wore four different uniforms at the major league level. He played for the Senators, the Texas Rangers, the Cleveland Indians and the Montreal Expos.
Jackie’s best statistical season came in 1974 while pitching for the Rangers. He appeared in 35 games, compiled a record of 13-12, pitched nine complete games with a pair of shutouts. In the 1974 season he had an ERA of 3.57 during 216 innings of work and struck out 134 batters.
Jackie ended his career with an ERA of 4.18 after pitching in 214 games.
Thursday’s banquet is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. with dinner and speaker P.D. Brown to follow.
The Sunbelt has been played in McAlester for a decade and is always dependent on help from the community to ensure its success. This year, Sunbelt organizers are still seeking host families, volunteers and corporate sponsors.
For information on how to become a host family call 820-0261.
Sports
Play Ball!
- Sports
-
-
City deer spotted out of season
Friday afternoon, while driving on West Jackson in McAlester, I noticed two females who appeared to be lost.
-
Mcalester Summer tennis, swimming programs set
The city’s parks and recreation department is gear up for summer with tennis and swimming lessons to be offered in May and June.
-
Eastern to host 40th annual Kiamichi All-Star Classic From submitted reports
Eastern Oklahoma State College will host the 40th annual Kiamichi All-Star Classic sports competition Saturday in Wilburton.
-
Top MHS athletes earn senior honors
At the annual senior assembly held last week, the Outstanding Senior Athletes for McAlester High School were named, this year in a dozen sports.
-
McAlester High School baseball team head to state tournament
For the first time since 2008, McAlester’s baseball team is going to the Class 5A State Baseball Tournament, winning a regional championship on their home field with a third consecutive five-inning, run-rule victory.
-
Buffaloes to end baseball season with Cougars
McAlester clinched the district championship with their final district game win, but will not have an “A” game with Ada to close out the regular season on Monday.
-
Day of golf to support Eufaula Ironheads
The Ironhead Golf Booster Club is hosting a fund raising golf tournament at Fountainhead Creek Golf Course in Checotah on May 19 at 9 a.m.
-
McAlester United soccer season continues
Teams for the McAlester United Soccer league played on Thursday and Friday as overall the league is preparing for the Oklahoma Soccer Association sanctioned state tournament known as the Kohl’s Cup to be played in Lawton April 28 and 29.
-
McAlester baseball drops grinding game to Duncan
At the end of a long and grinding baseball game that was the fourth in as many days for the fifth ranked Buffaloes, the home team for McAlester found themselves behind on the scoreboard 3-7.
-
Buffs baseball crushes Lawton MacArthur
There wasn’t much doubt about the outcome of the game after three innings of Buff baseball on Thursday night in the late game of day two in the McAlester Shootout tournament at Mike Deak Field.
- More Sports Headlines
-
City deer spotted out of season
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
Woman, 80, Falls Out of Skydive Harness Mid-Jump
Dog runs alonside cyclists for 1,100 miles
Lady Gaga Cancels Indonesian Show After Threats
Obama Honors Fallen Troops at Arlington Cemetery
Long Story Short: Beyonce back on stage
Raw Video: Man Rescued From River in China
Celtics crush Sixers in Game 7
Alleged Lego Thief Faces Felony Charges
Has Snooki Named Her Baby?
Heat Wave Warms Holiday Weekend
Beyonce Entertains the First Family
Inspiration for the class of 2012
Colorado College Student Shot While Trespassing
Will Smith & Josh Brolin on "Men in Black 3"
80-Year-Old Skydiver's Nightmare Jump
JWoww Sizzles in a Black Bikini
Sliders on the Grill
Cruise ship crunch
Backstage With Beyonce
