Brandywine and Howard Township will host the Cal Ripken state tournament in several age divisions beginning at noon today. (Leader photo/file)

The city of Niles, the Brandywine and Howard Township Cal Ripken leagues will play host to a massive tournament this weekend that will see 28 teams coming from as far Port Huron to compete for a state championship.

The teams will split a majority of their time between Howard’s Pepper Martin Park and Brandywine’s Firemen’s park with a few games also being held at F.O.P Park and Brandywine High School as well. Both Firemen’s Park and Pepper Martin Park were recently rated among the top facilities in the state for youth baseball.

There are 10 teams registered to play in the 8 and under division, five each in the 9 and 12 divisions and four apiece in the 10 and 11 divisions.

Teams in the 8, 9, and 11 and under divisions will play their games at Brandywine while the 10 and 12 divisions will play out at Howard.

This will be the first sanctioned tournament action for the 8-year-old teams, who will open the tournament today at noon. Friday’s festivities will prove to be a long haul for volunteers with the final game of the evening slated to start at 8:30 p.m.

The 12-year-olds will get under way at Pepper Martin at 2 p.m. and the 10-year-olds will follow them up at 5.

Tournament Director Jamie Stover said that the scheduling of the tournament was “kinda hectic” but that the rewards of seeing the kids play would be “well worth the effort” in the end.

“It’s our turn to host again this year and we’re excited to get the tournament under way,” Stover said. “Parents from across the state say they enjoy coming here because of our wonderful facilities and great community support.

“This weekend is about good baseball, taking in new experiences and most of all having fun. We can’t wait to get started.”