MLB.com to stream first-ever 'National Youth Baseball Championships' games

The Major Youth Baseball Alliance LLC, the governing body of the first-ever "National Youth Baseball Championships," announced today that MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, will provide live video streams of 14 games from the inaugural tournament, which is scheduled to be held from August 21-24 in Memphis, Tennessee. In the MLB.com broadcast booth for the semi-final and championship rounds will be former Major Leaguers Harold Reynolds and Billy Sample.

The four-day tournament is the initial effort of the Major Youth Baseball Alliance, comprised of eight major youth organizations, including AABC (American Amateur Baseball Congress), AAU (Amateur Athletic Union of the United States), Babe Ruth Baseball, Dixie Youth Baseball, NABF (National Amateur Baseball Federation), Pony Baseball, Super Series Baseball of America and USSSA (United States Specialty Sports Association). It will be played at Gameday Baseball's First Tennessee Fields in Memphis and will crown national champions in the 10-under and 12-under divisions, which includes more than 100,000 teams. Future plans call for the tournament to include as many as eight age groups.

"I am thrilled that MLB.com has stepped up to provide national exposure for these long-established youth baseball organizations that will be competing in the National Youth Baseball Championships," said Eddie Einhorn, Vice Chairman of the Chicago White Sox and founder of the Major Youth Baseball Alliance. "All of the teams coming to Memphis are already champions of their own organizations and it will be exciting to see them compete for a national championship."

"As the site that powers the Hall of Fame, the Major Leagues and the Minor Leagues, MLB.com is honored to add this exciting event to our lineup," said Dinn Mann, Executive Vice President of Content for Major League Baseball Advanced Media. "Eddie Einhorn and these prestigious organizations have formed a thoughtful alliance with the best of intentions, and these impressive young players deserve to have their championship efforts seen by our millions of visitors."

MLB.com will stream four pool-play games in the 10-under division on Thursday, August 21 and four 12-under pool-play games on Friday, August 22. The 10-under semi-final games will be streamed live on Saturday, August 23, at 9:00 a.m. CT and 11:30 a.m. CT with the championship game to be streamed live at 6:00 p.m. CT. The semifinal round for the 12-under division will be streamed live on Sunday, August 24, at 10:00 a.m. CT and 12:30 p.m. CT with the championship game scheduled to be streamed live at 6:00 p.m. CT. Opening ceremonies will also be streamed live by MLB.com on Thursday, August 21, at 8:30 p.m. ET.Joining Reynolds and Sample on the MLB.com broadcast team will be Noah Coslov and Vinny Micucci.

Said Reynolds: "I am delighted to be a part of the broadcast team for the inaugural National Youth Baseball Championships. Everyone knows how much I love being a part of youth baseball, and it will be very exciting to be part of an inclusive national tournament that is comprised of players from such outstanding, diverse organizations."

Organization champions that have qualified for the National Youth Baseball Championships tournament to date are:

10-under Division
Southern Jaguars, Marietta, GA, NABF; Orlando Juice 10's, Orlando, FL, AAU; McKinney Marshals, McKinney, TX, Super Series; McComb, MS, Dixie Youth Baseball; and Tamiami, Miami, FL, PONY Baseball.

12-under Division
Germantown Giants, Germantown, TN, Super Series; East Cobb Astros, Marietta, GA, NABF; Orlando Juice 12's, Orlando, FL, AAU; and Team Texas, Texarkana, TX, Dixie Youth Baseball.

In addition, each of the eight youth organizations participating in the National Youth Baseball Championships will have an official group page powered by Weplay, the official online sponsor of the tournament. Each Weplay group page will be linked directly from the official website of the National Youth Baseball Championships, YouthMajors.com.

Weplay is a web-based social utility designed specifically for the youth sports community. The platform provides a safe place for kids, parents, coaches and organizers involved with youth sports to connect, create, share and stay organized. Using the latest technologies, everyone can create profiles, connect with teammates, "friend" Pros like Derek Jeter, LeBron James and Peyton Manning, play games and more. In addition, parents and coaches will use weplay to organize their schedules, share pictures and videos, and communicate information such as practice schedules and rainouts more effectively.

Weplay is backed by CAA Sports, a division of Creative Artists Agency, MLB Advanced Media, FirstMark Capital and iconic athletes Derek Jeter, LeBron James, Peyton Manning, Tony Parker, Shaun Alexander, Ryan Howard, Jennie Finch, Brandi Chastain, Summer Sanders and Sheryl Swoopes.

Charter sponsors for the "National Youth Baseball Championships" tournament include AutoZone, International Paper and Terminix. Additional sponsors include Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, Back Yard Burgers, Diamond Sports, First Tennessee, Juice Plus and PinZone.