LUMBERTON — Dixie Youth Baseball announced on Tuesday that it would cancel the 2020 World Series in Laurel, Mississippi, this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After evaluating all of the information available to us, taking into account the varying nature of communities allowing sports participation and the beginning of the coming school year the National Board of Directors of Dixie Youth Baseball has decided to cancel all of our 2020 DYB World Series Tournaments,” the statement from Dixie Youth Baseball read. “This was not a decision we made lightly.”
The decision is the first time in the 64-year history of the organization that the World Series will not be played. The organization also announced that Laurel will host the 2021 Dixie Youth World Series that was set to come to Lumberton’s Ray Pennington Athletic Complex next summer.
Dixie Youth Commissioner William Wade told The Robesonian that because of that change, Lumberton will host the 2022 Dixie Youth Division I World Series, and still has the option to host the 2022 Division II World Series. The 2023 World Series will be hosted in Dothan, Alabama.
This change allows for a later start time this summer for local leagues once state virus guidelines are lifted.
“The No. 1 priority of Dixie Youth Baseball is to offer regular season play, which offers the greatest opportunity for all of our children to participate,” the statement read in part. “We did not feel that we should sacrifice regular season play in an already altered season for the sake of extended tournament play. Removing the world series from our post-season schedule will allow for significant regular season play in those communities that are able to do so this season. Each state will have the opportunity to offer post-season play should time permit.”
Jonathan Bym can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at jbym@robesonian.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jonathan_Bym.
