SABA Teams Set to Host Annual All-Star Tournament

The preparations are complete. Two teams representing the San Anselmo Baseball Association are ready to host 12-and-under and 10-and-under teams from around the bay over an eight-day stretch in the annual All-Star Tournament that begins Sunday at .

“The kids are very excited to be hosting their own tournament,” assured SABA 10’s co-head coach Tom Brown. “We’ve spent the last month and a half getting focused for this tournament.”

Round-robin play will be contested in two divisions, with five teams vying for the 12’s title and six going for the 10’s championship.

First pitch in the 10’s event will be thrown Sunday at 2 p.m., with SABA taking on Rohnert Park on Field 1.

The 12’s competition begins Monday at 5:30 p.m., with SABA facing Albany on Field 1.

Single-elimination semifinals and finals are scheduled for Sunday, July 24.

Here’s a capsule look at the two SABA tournament entrants:

Major 12’s

Coming off a pair of third-place finishes earlier in the summer, SABA’s 12-and-under team will be among five squads shooting for four semifinal spots in the single-elimination portion of the tournament that takes place next weekend.

Co-coached by Steve Reinertsen, Marcus Yamane and Steve Thompson, the team placed third in the June Jamboree in Rancho Cordova, then duplicated that feat last weekend at the Mid-Summer Classic in Manteca.

“The best part has been playing against good teams from outside of Marin,” Yamane noted. “It’s good for the players to see that while they may be the best players in their San Anselmo league, there are lots of good and better players out there.”

Playing in front of family and friends in the week ahead should help, Yamane assured, but that doesn’t change the focus of SABA’s summer program.

“The kids are really looking forward to playing some competitive ball in front of their home crowd and against some good teams from around the Bay Area,” he said. “Winning is really secondary to practicing hard, playing smart and leaving it all out on the field. The winning will come if they do all that.”

Here’s a look at the 12’s roster and tournament schedule:

SABA roster: Kent Berry, Riley Moore, Niklas Licon, Rocky Clark, Patrick Brown, Mark Steccone, Brady McCallister, Jensen Yamane, Owen Hamilton, Cole Thompson, Ryan Fox-Horn, Henrik Reinertsen.

Tournament schedule: Monday at 5:30 p.m.: San Anselmo vs. Albany, Field 1; San Francisco Youth Baseball League vs. San Francisco Little League, Field 3. Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.: San Anselmo vs. San Francisco Youth Baseball League, Field 1; Concord vs. Albany, Field 3. Friday at 5:30 p.m.: San Anselmo vs. Concord, Field 1; Albany vs. San Francisco Little League, Field 3. Saturday, July 23, 11:30 a.m.: Albany vs. San Francisco Youth Baseball League, Field 1; Concord vs. San Francisco Little League, Field 3. Saturday, July 23, 4:30 p.m.: San Anselmo vs. San Francisco Little League, Field 1; San Francisco Youth Baseball League vs. Concord, Field 3.

Championship semifinals: Sunday, July 24, 11:30 a.m.: No. 1 seed vs. No. 4 seed, Field 1; No. 2 seed vs. No. 3 seed, Field 3.

Championship finals: Sunday, July 24, 2:30 p.m.: Semifinal winners, Field 1.

Minor 10’s

The SABA 10-and-under club is coming off an encouraging performance at the Mid-Summer Classic at the Field of Dreams in Manteca.

The highlight of the event, according to Brown, was a 14-13, last-inning loss to the eventual tournament champion from San Carlos on the Tiger Stadium rendition.

“Every game we lost (in Manteca) was by a close margin,” Brown noted. “There was some real good competition.”

The SABA squad also went to Brentwood in June for a tournament, and has scrimmaged teams from the West Marin Little League, El Cerrito and Albany.

“This has been an eye-opening experience for a lot of kids,” Brown admitted. “They’re used to being the top dog on their team. All of a sudden, they’re playing a high-level competition.”

Brown and Doug MacLean are the team’s co-head coaches. Clayton Fraser and Scott Rosen serve as the assistants.

Here’s a look at the 10’s roster and tournament schedule:

SABA roster: Logan Anderson, Tyler Brown, Colin Brown, Christopher Carlucci, Ian Casey, CJ Castillo, Burke Fraser, Dominic MacLean, Jayden Morgan, Zev Revis, Matt Rosen, Darius Saadat, Christopher Seymour, Justin Tucker, Riley Weller.

Tournament schedule: Sunday at 2 p.m.: San Anselmo vs. Rohnert Park, Field 1; San Francisco vs. Albany Dragons, Field 2; Albany Little League vs. El Cerrito, Field 3. Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.: San Anselmo vs. San Francisco, Field 1; Albany Little League vs. Rohnert Park, Field 2; El Cerrito vs. Albany Dragons, Field 3. Thursday at 5:30 p.m.: San Anselmo vs. Albany Little League, Field 1; San Francisco vs. El Cerrito, Field 2; Rohnert Park vs. Albany Dragons, Field 3. Saturday, July 23, 9 a.m.: San Anselmo vs. El Cerrito, Field 1; Albany Dragons vs. Albany Little League, Field 2; Rohnert Park vs. San Francisco, Field 3. Saturday, July 23, 2 p.m.: San Anselmo vs. Albany Dragons, Field 1; San Francisco vs. Albany Little League, Field 2; Rohnert Park vs. El Cerrito, Field 3.

Championship semifinals: Sunday, July 24, 9 a.m.: No. 1 seed vs. No. 4 seed, Field 3; No. 2 seed vs. No. 3 seed, Field 1.

Championship finals: Sunday, July 24, noon: Semifinal winners, Field 2.