By Joel Langton
The 830 Times
The schedule is set, and Del Rio is about to take on the world in the 2026 Babe Ruth 14-Year-Old World Series.
A team from a Texas border community of about 35,000 people will take the field in Eagle Pass this weekend against teams from across the United States and around the globe.
The “Davids” from Del Rio preparing to battle “Goliath” are LeRoy Briones Jr., Liam Riemann, Ryan Herrera, Andres
Delgado, Kase Gee, Isaiah A. Salinas, Donny Guajardo, Santiago Diaz, Cooper West, Ashton Casillas, Alejandro Salas, Adriel Flores, Yadier Ozuna, Adan Randez and Eddie Amezcua III.
The tournament field includes teams from Reedsburg, Wisconsin (10,113); Orange Grove, Texas (1,435); Vancouver, Washington (204,828); Tallahassee, Florida (207,428); Stamford, Connecticut (137,207); Milford, Connecticut (51,201); and Broomall-Newtown, Pennsylvania (13,285). Only Reedsburg, Broomall-Newtown and Orange Grove come from communities smaller than Del Rio, and none are in Del Rio’s pool.
The rest of the field isn’t made up of cities at all. It’s made up of countries. International teams representing Australia, Aruba, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand and Puerto Rico will also compete for the world championship.
Del Rio opens World Series play Saturday, Aug. 8, at 2 p.m. against the Latin America representative. The team returns Sunday at 2 p.m. to face the Caribbean representative before taking on Tallahassee at 2 p.m. Monday. Del Rio closes pool play Tuesday at 2 p.m. against Stamford.
If you can’t make it to Eagle Pass, fans can watch the Babe Ruth 14-Year-Old World Series live on the official GameChanger livestream at GameChanger. If you have trouble locating the tournament broadcast, simply search “Babe Ruth 14U World Series Eagle Pass GameChanger” in your preferred search engine.
Because GameChanger organizes events by tournament and team, that search should bring up the correct livestream and game links quickly.
You will have to go through a several-step process on GameChanger by submitting your email. They’ll send you a six-digit code for entry, but afterward, you should be able to watch the Del Rio athletes compete on the world stage.
However, the coaches ask that this be a last resort for fans and encourage people to drive to Eagle Pass and support the players in person as they take on the world.
The tournament began Friday and runs through Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Patsy Winn Sports Complex in Eagle Pass.
For Del Rio, the trip is only about an hour south on U.S. 277. For many of its opponents, it’s a journey measured in hundreds—or even thousands—of miles.
Bracket play begins Wednesday, with the championship bracket opening Thursday. The Babe Ruth 14-Year-Old World Series championship game is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15.
