The Babe Ruth World Series 2025 (BRWS), is set to be held from Aug. 16 to 23 in Jamestown, will feature international competitors competing for the title of champion as well. This year, the 13-year-old division will welcome a team from Australia, affectionately known as the “Land Down Under,” to participate in the Babe Ruth World Series. The Aussie Dropbears will compete in the 13-year-old Babe Ruth World Series in Jamestown. According to ozball.com, the Australian organization’s website, the trip is costing players $3,900, not including flights and accommodations.

“On behalf of Ozball Australia, we are excited to announce that next year’s Aussie Drop Bears tour is to the Babe Ruth 13U World Series in Jamestown, New York,” the team’s website states. “This will be a fantastic opportunity to compete against teams from all over the world while proudly representing the Australian Region. The BRWS is an unparalleled experience, designed for maximum fun and exposure to some of the world’s best baseball talent.”

This year’s Babe Ruth World Series marks the 20th time Jamestown has hosted a BRWS, coinciding with the 45th anniversary of the inaugural World Series held here.

“I remember taking my crying infant daughter to the park, where I had the incredible opportunity to meet baseball legend Ernie Banks, known as Mr. Cub,” recounted Greg Peterson, baseball enthusiast and Vice-President of the Board of Directors for the Jamestown Tarp Skunks baseball team. “He gifted my daughter an autographed 8 by 10 photo of himself, which is particularly special considering she later became the general counsel for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB).”

Babe Ruth’s 13-Year-Old World Series teams are shown at Russell E. Diethrick, Jr. Park, located at 485 Falconer St., during the 2021 championship games.

In support of the 2025 Babe Ruth World Series, the Jamestown Babe Ruth World Series Board of Directors will be hosting its annual car show, a fund raiser called the World Series of Wheels. This event will take place on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Bergman Park, located at 487 Baker St.

In a story published by the Post-Journal on July 30, 2024, Jeff Storrs shared his experience of saving for five years to purchase his dream car. He emphasized the importance of participating in the car show, highlighting that it supports a worthwhile cause.

“I saved up for five, long years,” he said about his 26-year-old Corvette. “My son and I worked hard putting new parts into her, and we’ve won 17 car competitions so far, ” he said. “My grandmother used to take me to this event when I was younger. I loved it then and I love it now. This event supports youth baseball. …You don’t get any more American than baseball and old cars.”

Mayor Kim Ecklund of Jamestown reported that the attendance for last year’s World Series of Wheels show ranged from 250 to 350 individuals. Furthermore, all funds generated from this event will be allocated to support the upcoming BRWS 2025 show.

“Everything raised today will go to the Babe Ruth World Series,” she said.

Organizers are also looking for Diamond Girls to represent the 10 teams. Each girl will participate in all team and World Series activities. Once the Diamond Girls are chosen, meetings will be held in Jamestown to familiarize the girls with the upcoming events. The Diamond Girls will need to be present when their teams arrive on Aug. 14, assist the workers at the World Series Headquarters if needed, participate in other activities that might be scheduled and attend games when their team plays. There is a minimum of two Diamond Girls per team.

Organizers are also looking for ambassador families and volunteers as well as bat boys.

The role of the Ambassador is defined as someone who is interested in serving as both a support and friend for a specific team and their guests during the week of the World Series. Organizers ask ambassadors not only attend the games and cheer on the team they have been assigned to, but also serve as a support for the visitors to the community.

“We are hoping that the role of the ambassador will be the same as the Host Family role in the past with the exception of the boys staying in your home for a week,” Babe Ruth World Series Committee members said in a news release. “This is a great opportunity to support our community and a team that is experiencing a chance of a lifetime by participating in a World Series here in Jamestown. Perhaps if you considered being a Host Family in the past but didn’t have the room to house players, now is a great opportunity to get involved and become an Ambassador.”

For more information, call Kim Ecklund at 716-664-0405. For more information on the BRWS, visit baberuthworldseries.org. For more information on the upcoming World Series of Wheels, visit jamestownworldseries.org.