On one field, Alabama is playing the Bahamas, and a few steps away on another field, Japan is playing Northern California.
“This sport brings everyone together, so it's so cool,” said Ethan Morgan Boyce, a player for Team Laguna California.
“Baseball is a universal language,” said his father and head coach Jason Morgan Boyce.
The sport will be played at the Cal Ripken Major 70 World Series in Branson, bringing together baseball players ages 12 and under from around the world.
The Belgian players say it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, while the Japanese coaches are calling it the “Disneyland of baseball.”
“It was great to have the exposure to other teams, players and countries that you don't normally get in eastern North Carolina,” Team Southeast head coach Brad Sykes said.
Baseball is also popular, and although it is not a common sport in Belgium, players there aspire to be like their favourite player, Freddie Freeman.
“This is what it's all about: learning,” the Belgian players said.
Meanwhile, the Bahamas knows what it's like to see the Babe Ruth Baseball League grow and succeed.
“We hope to go to more tournaments and continue to see players like Jazz Chisholm, Lucius Fox and Chavez Young grow and flourish,” said Team Bahamas head coach Gregory Burrows, “some of the big names who played in the Babe Ruth Tournament in 2010.”
The excitement of the games, the swapping of jerseys and the trading of pins are all part of the World Series experience.
