Baseball: Ken Price Ball Park will host 10-day event for 13-year-olds

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Murray » It's been seven years in the making, and it's coming to Murray this summer.

Some 150 top student athletes nationwide are scheduled to play in the 2009 Babe Ruth Baseball 13-Year-Old World Series in August at Ken Price Ball Park.

It will be the first time the event is held in Utah.

Throughout the past five years, the city has spent roughly $100,000 to host the 10-day event and make improvements to the ballpark that sits behind Murray City Hall. Ten teams -- including the Murray and Utah champion teams -- will play in the series.

Kim Sorensen, Murray's parks superintendent who is co-organizing the series, said he's excited to see so much support from city leaders, residents and businesses.

"It's just a feel-good community thing," he said.

Kevin Hill, a Murray resident of 22 years, first brought up the idea for the city to host the world series in 2002 when his and Sorensen's sons played baseball together.

Hill contacted the Babe Ruth organization officials, and they suggested the city instead hold a regional tournament. Murray hosted about three tournaments though the years and started making park improvements in hopes of getting the chance to hold a world series, organizers said.

"It took us a while to convince them that we could a hold a world series here," said Hill, who's now the 2009 series' host president.

In February 2008, Murray groups signed a contract to host the series, and organizers started raising $120,000.

"It was something we wanted to do for our kids, but it took longer than we anticipated -- we're benefiting other people now," Hill said.

There are about 35 volunteers serving on the world series planning committee. The Friends of Ken Price group is fundraising for the event, Sorensen said.

The money is mostly used to pay for the travel cost for the players and coaches and to put on the event, including a fireworks show. Some 60 Murray families have volunteered to host two players in each home, Sorensen said.

As for the ballpark improvements, some include painting, landscaping the east side of the park with grass, adding a batting cage, installing a new fence and remodeling the restrooms, Sorensen said.

The ballpark can now hold some 3,000 to 3,500 people, he said.

"When the Babe Ruth Series is over, the improvements will benefit the baseball community and Murray," he said.

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