The Arlington Youth Baseball Association captured the 2026 Cal Ripken 11u/70 state championship, a title that reflects a unique blend of age and skill.
A Game for the Ages
What made the final against Norwich stand out was the nine‑inning thriller that stretched into extra innings, with a decisive play at the plate in the bottom of the ninth that left the crowd on its feet. Commissioner John Muniz called it the best Cal Ripken baseball game in Vermont.
The victory now propels the mixed‑age squad to the New England regional tournament in Bethel, Connecticut, where they will meet champions from Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts and western Massachusetts.
The roster reads like a miniature United Nations of Vermont youth baseball, featuring two nine‑year‑olds, two ten‑year‑olds, two eleven‑year‑olds and three twelve‑year‑olds, all coached by volunteers from Arlington, Bennington, Hoosick Falls and Shaftsbury.
If the team advances through the regional bracket, they will earn a spot in the Cal Ripken World Series in Crown Point, Indiana, a prospect that has the whole community buzzing.