The Mid County Senior Babe Ruth team will look to defend their world series title in Fayetteville, Arkansas July 13.

The team’s game at San Jacinto College was rained out on Saturday. One of the team’s coaches Clint Landry said they used this weekend’s tournament as a warm-up before regional play.

Landry said they decided to play in the tournament in Houston to keep the team fresh and to get a look at some of the players.

“We would’ve loved to play Saturday because we had four more pitchers that we wanted to look at and get them some work. Unfortunately, the rain came. We’ll look at them again in practice and we’ll go from there. 

Mid County was supposed to take on Del Rio on Saturday, but the game was canceled because both teams were invited to regionals in Arkansas.

“We were going to play Del Rio in Nederland this weekend,” Landry said. “They decided instead of driving all the way across Texas, that they would invite both teams to regionals since they had an open spot. Both teams got a bye, really.”

Landry said that the whole team has played well, but one player has made a few splash plays.

“I don’t want to single out one player,” Landry said. “There were a couple of surprises. Our defense was really good. Our outfield is fast. I’ll go ahead and mention one kid. The kid from Port Neches, Brandon Pedix, has really pitched well. Of course, we’ve seen him play throughout the season, but he’s played well for us. He threw a lot of strikes and also hit the ball really well — especially the three-run homerun he hit.”

Landry said he wasn’t too surprised the pitcher hit one out given his 6-foot-5 stature.

“There was a little talk in the dugout, because it was really hot, and we don’t want to overwork anyone. We were going to change pitchers and let the other pitcher bat. We were kind of glad we stayed.

The team is made up of players that have put aside school rivalries for a common goal, Landry said.

“It takes about a week of practice to mesh,” Landry said. “It’s hard to get that rivalry out of you and turn it off. They do play on a lot of different teams but we also have a lot of kids from Orange County and Kountze. It’s really a good mixture of kids.

Landry said that this year’s team ranks in the top-five of teams he has coached.

“This team is really good. We’ve got pitching. We’ve got great catching and we have team speed this year that is remarkable. I’d put this team up with any team that we’ve had in the prior 10 years.”

Although there is still work to be done in Arkansas, Landry said that his team is keeping an eye on one team in particular.

“To get to the World Series, especially for the last five years, you have to get through Alabama,” he said. “We were fortunate last year to beat them. I know they have another good squad, but we feel that this team that we have now is very comparable to last years team. We’re not going up there expecting to not win. We’re not going to overlook any other teams up there, but we know that Alabama is going to be the most competitive, more than likely.

“This team is really good. We’ve got pitching. We’ve got great catching and we have team speed this year that is remarkable. I’d put this team up with any team that we’ve had in the prior 10 years.”

The Mid County Senior Babe Ruth team will travel to Arkansas on Wednesday. Landry said that they will have a bye and play the winner of Del Rio and Mississippi on Friday.