Opp High School preps for annual Butch Youmans Spring Break Tournament

Published 11:00 am Friday, March 22, 2024

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The Butch Youmans Spring Break Tournament will be held for the 11th time on Monday, March 25, and Tuesday, March 26, at Merchants Field and the Babe Ruth field in Opp.

The tournament is played in memory of Butch Youmans who passed away on May 25, 2014, after an 18-month-long battle against pancreatic cancer. The 13-team field for this year is made up of Brantley, Dale County, Elba, Excel, Eufaula, Florala, Houston Academy, Opp, Pleasant Home, Slocomb, Thomasville, Wicksburg, and W.S. Neal.

“We are so fortunate to continue this tournament in Mr. Butch’s memory. Mr. Youmans meant so much to Opp for baseball and the school’s other sports and athletics. He worked with so many of our kids, whether coaching, umpiring, or showing them how to play the game of baseball. He exemplified sacrifice by spending time away from his family to help the kids in Opp be better baseball players and young men,” Opp Head Coach Michael Cassady said.

While he was an employee of HT Hackney, Youmans donated drinks, food, and snacks to the baseball and softball programs.

“Mr. Youmans’ hard work and dedication to the kids in Opp is why we named this tournament after him. We are honored again to play this tournament for Mr. Butch,” Cassady added.

Tickets are $10 per day and will be available on GoFan or at the gate. All games on Monday will be played on Merchants Field. Games on Tuesday will be split between Merchants Field and the Babe Ruth Field.

The schedule for Monday, March 25 is as follows:

  • 8:30 a.m. – Brantley vs. Dale County
  • 10:45 a.m. – Wicksburg vs. Excel
  • 1 p.m. – Houston Academy vs. W.S. Neal
  • 3:15 p.m. – Eufaula vs. Slocomb
  • 5:30 p.m. – Opp vs. Pleasant Home
  • 7:45 p.m. – Opp vs. Elba

The schedule for Tuesday, March 26 on Merchants Field is as follows:

  • 9 a.m. – Excel vs. Brantley
  • 11:15 a.m. – Slocomb vs. Brantley
  • 1:30 p.m. – Elba vs. Eufaula
  • 3:45 p.m. – Thomasville vs. Eufaula
  • 6 p.m. – Opp vs. Dale County
  • 8:15 p.m. – Opp vs. Houston Academy

The schedule for Tuesday, March 26 on the Babe Ruth field is as follows:

  • 9 a.m. – Pleasant Home vs. W.S. Neal
  • 11:15 a.m. – Excel vs. Pleasant Home
  • 1:30 p.m. – Dale County vs. W.S. Neal
  • 3:45 p.m. – Slocomb vs. Elba
  • 6 p.m. – Wicksburg vs. Thomasville
  • 8:15 p.m. – Florala vs. Wicksburg

Opp is the defending champion from 2022. The tournament was cancelled due to weather in 2023.