KINGSFORD — Beginning Sunday at Kingsford, and for the next few weeks in Norway and Escanaba, Little League baseball will take center stage as the world’s largest youth organization kicks off its 2019 tournament. This is the time of the year when many players dream of making it to the big dance.

Defending district champion Escanaba opens tournament play at 2 p.m. EST Sunday at the East Kingsford field against host Kingsford. This opening game should be a dandy as 2018 state finalist Escanaba goes up against a good Kingsford team that won the district two years ago.

In the second game of the double-elimination tournament, Tri-County from the Trenary, Rock/Perkins area and Chatham will open tournament play at 4 against an always strong Iron Mountain North team that previously won the district four years in a row until Kingsford stopped it. Tri-County has a team capable of playing with the best. Norway — another strong team from Dickinson county — got the only bye in the tournament and will play the winner of the Escanaba/Kingsford game Monday at 6.

The tournament runs all week with the championship being played at 7 Thursday. The champion will play in the state finals in Mount Pleasant July 19.

The Major Little League softball district just ended and the champions from Gladstone will carry the U.P. district banner to the state finals in downstate Tecumseh Friday, July 12. Gladstone will play the host team at 2:30 Saturday.

Back to the U.P. — and specifically in Escanaba — both of the district 9/10 divisions in baseball and softball will open a week-long double-elimination tournament. The baseball district starts Thursday, July 11 at the Karl Dickson field while the softball district begins Sunday, July 14 at Lemerand Park in Escanaba.

In the 9/10 baseball district opener, it looks like a repeat of the Yooper tournament as host Escanaba plays Gladstone Thursday at 5 and Tri-County plays Munising at 7. The tournament runs until July 21 with the district champion playing in the state championship game at Dexter, which is located by downstate Jackson.

This is one of the biggest state tournaments Michigan has every year and next year it will come across the U.P. to Gladstone for a nearly two-week stay of over 20 teams.

Last but not least, the 9/10 softball district championship begins in Escanaba Sunday, July 14 at 2 when defending champ and state runner-up from a year ago Escanaba opens tournament play against KIngsford. Norway takes on the winner Monday at 7 with the championship game being played Wednesday at 7 at Lemerand Park.

The champion advances to play in the state finals July 26 in Marysville, which is located by Port Huron.

All and all, it should be a fun time of year for Little League All-Stars, and as fans, we can make this a good event by being good sports and being alert driving around the ball fields.