It’s been an unbelievable season for Selma’s local all-star teams and in the upcoming weeks it could get even better. 

All five of Selma’s youth teams have qualified for state tournament play and the 15-18 Dixie Majors division, which is still in the midst of regular season play, will host that division’s state tournament July 13-17 at Bloch Park.

Gerald Barron is in his first year as the city’s baseball and softball director, but he’s not sure Selma has ever had five teams qualify for state tournaments in the same year. He knows for sure it hasn’t happened since 2004.

Barron said the last team to win a state championship was in 1981, when a Selma team finished runner-up in the Dizzy Dean Baseball World Series. Barron said the last World Series title for any Selma team was in 1971.

“It’s something I try to embrace in these kids, that it’s something you’ll remember the rest of your life,” said Ricky Waters, who coaches Selma’s 14-year-old team and played on the last Selma team to win a state championship in 1981. “You never forget it. You’re friends for life with these boys.”

Barron said all of Selma’s success this year is a testament to the coaches, players and parents, who are spending a lot of time traveling this summer.

“You have to give benefit to the coaches, the regular season coaches, because it is hard to get these players ready in two or three weeks,” Barron said. “It says that the regular season coaches are doing well and you have to give a shout out to the all-star coaches.”

Barron said the competition will get stiffer at the state level, but Selma has the same chance anyone else has. He thinks all five teams have a realistic chance of winning the championship.

“We’ve got as good a chance as anybody,” Barron said. “We’re there and you’ve got to be in it to win it and we are there. The competition gets a lot stiffer, I can tell you that from my own experience coaching all-stars… but I think we can do it. I think every one of those teams has the talent and the coaches that they can do it.”

Here’s a recap on where each team will be playing:

 

7-8 Division (AA)

Selma defeated Thomasville June 21 to qualify for the AA state tournament, which will begin July 8 in Wetumpka.

 

 

9-10 Division (AAA)

Selma defeated Thomasville June 29 to qualify for the state AAA state tournament, which is July 16 in Enterprise.

 

11-12 Division (O-Zone)

Selma defeated Grove Hill June 29 to qualify for the O-zone state tournament, which will be held July 16 in Enterprise.

 

13-year-olds (Dixie Junior Boys)

Selma qualified to go straight to the state tournament in Dothan July 18.

 

14-year-olds (Dixie Boys)

Selma qualified for the state tournament, which will begin July 18 in Dothan.

 

15-18-year-olds (Dixie Majors)

Selma will host the Dixie Majors state tournament July 14-17 at Bloch Park.