The 2011 Cal Ripken Major/60
World Series will be held in
Visalia, California, and hosted by
Visalia Youth Baseball (VYB). The
World Series will be played at the
newly constructed Riverway Sports
Park baseball complex. The Riverway
Sports Park is home to 10 lighted
soccer fields, a lighted BMX track,
playground areas, picnic arbors and,
of course, the lighted 4-field
baseball complex.
VYB is the proud holder of two World
Series Championship titles. The 12
year-olds won the 2002 12 year-old
World Series Championship in
Mattoon, IL and the 10 year-old team
won the 2006 10 year-old World
Series title in Lafayette, LA. All
inclusive, VYB has sent six
different participating teams to six
different Cal Ripken World Series
events. The various host towns
include Mattoon, IL (2002),
Lafayette, LA (2006), Martin, TN
(2008), Winchester, MA (2009),
Lamar, CO (2009), and Wilson County,
NC (2010).
As an organization, VYB has hosted
numerous District, State and one
Regional tournament over the 13
years they have been established.
VYB originally chartered with Babe
Ruth’s Bambino league program. When
Babe Ruth Inc. switched the name for
their 12 and under division to Cal
Ripken, VYB has chartered with the
league every year since. VYB has
experienced a growth of no less than
10% each and every enrollment year.
Currently, VYB serves over 900
players from age 4 through 15 in the
organization.
The Riverway Sports Park baseball
complex is an outstanding site for
the World Series tournament. The
newly built 80 acre complex boasts 4
lighted baseball fields set up for
either 60’ or 70’ baseball field
options. The fields are flanked by
huge dugouts, bullpens on each side
of the field, shade canopies for the
fans, a huge snack bar and
restrooms, 2 beautiful covered
picnic areas, and ample parking as
well. It is a first class baseball
facility completed and opened on
June 5, 2010. VYB is proud to call
Riverway Sports Park’s baseball
complex its home field.
Located in the fertile agricultural
region of the San Joaquin Valley at
nearly the exact midpoint between
Los Angeles and San Francisco,
Visalia is known as the “Gateway to
the Sequoias” as Highway 198 paves
the way for millions of travelers
each year to visit Sequoia National
Forest, home to the giant redwood
forests. Travelers can, with a short
drive, visit Kings Canyon National
Park and nearby Yosemite National
Park for vistas and scenery
unmatched anywhere on the planet.
Visalia is nestled next to the
Sierra Nevada mountain range. Prior
to the construction of flood control
and irrigation dams creating nearby
Lake Kaweah and Lake Success, the
watershed from these nearby
mountains created a swampy area with
a magnificent oak forest. Today
those remaining Valley Oaks are a
signature of Visalia’s unique Normal
Rockwell like community atmosphere.
With a population of 121,000,
Visalia is considered a “small town”
by California standards. Visalia
boasts two regional malls with
anchors such as Macy’s & JC Penney’s
Department stores, Best Buy
Electronics, Sport Chalet, two
regional movie theatres, an
Adventure Park amusement facility
with miniature golf, go carts,
batting cages, a full arcade and
sports café. But the pride of
Visalia is the quaint downtown with
an atmosphere all its own. Coffee
shops, cafes, microbreweries,
salons, flower shops, along with
casual and fine dining
establishments, lace both sides of
Main Street. Retail shopping abounds
for young and old and the antiques
are plentiful.
And, like the ballpark, you just
can’t visit Visalia without stopping
by Taylor’s Hot Dogs, a staple in
the local community for nearly as
long as any resident can remember.
They’re big fans of baseball too.
With Fresno Yosemite International
airport just 40 miles away, and our
own regional airport here in
Visalia, visitors have many options
for arrival. We are home to
thousands of hotel rooms due to the
annual International Farm Expo that
takes place in nearby Tulare each
year in February.
Visalia Youth Baseball is proud to
host the 2011 Cal Ripken Major/60
World Series. Our many hard working
volunteers will welcome you to our
small agricultural town with smiles,
and offer up a measure of
hospitality that will make your stay
an enjoyable and unforgettably
pleasant memory of the Cal Ripken
World Series tournament experience.
If you love baseball, and we’re sure
you do… you’re going to love
Visalia, CA.