Johnson-O'Brien Stadium
By Steven Smith, the Grant County Journal
MOBILE ALABAMA IS THE 2011 WORLD SERIES CHAMPION
2011 Senior Babe Ruth World Series
Watch the games live on CBHtv.
All games are broadcast on Pacific time.
Click here to watch the games.
Go to CBHTV.mobi for a mobile application.
Near the geographical center of the state of Washington, on a high school baseball field in August, history will be made.
On August 6, 2011, the opening pitch will be thrown on the 2011 Senior Babe Ruth World Series, and it will happen in the smallest community ever to host the showcase event for senior-level baseball in this country. Ephrata (pronounced EE-fray-tuh), with its population of just over 7,500, will play host to the tournament for the first time in history.
Not that the region itself is new to this event. The Columbia Basin, an agricultural and outdoor enthusiast mecca that runs from the Canadian to Oregon borders down the middle of the state of Washington, will host the World Series for the third time in 11 summers. The first two were in the area’s largest town, Moses Lake (2000, 2009), which did a tremendous job playing host.
But in October of 2010, when the offer to come back to the basin was made, Columbia Basin Youth Baseball president Randy Boruff made a monumental decision – take the series to the heart of baseball success in Grant County and the Columbia Basin. Ephrata has a rich tradition in the game at the high school level (eight state championships, along with dozens of league, district and regional titles), and Johnson-O’Brien Stadium has been the site of dozens of epic baseball showdowns over the years.
And this year’s host team, the Columbia Basin River Dogs, is no stranger to success in Senior Babe Ruth. This will be the 10th World Series in the program’s history since 1995, a run that has seen the River Dogs reach the final four seven times and play in three championship games – the Dogs won the 16-year-old title in 1995, then captured the 16-18 year-old championship in 1998.
The City of Ephrata is the gateway to many recreational and entertainment area in the upper Columbia Basin, including Lake Roosevelt and a series of lakes that run along the Columbia River that bring thousands of visitors every year to the area; Grand Coulee Dan, home of a laser light show nightly through the summer; The Gorge Amphitheater, an outdoor arena that hosts the biggest names in the music industry; and dozens of wineries, museums and other popular attractions.
 | 
