Area Code Baseball

The 25th annual Area Code Baseball Games have announced the players and schedule for the 2011 Games. Nearly 3,000 high school baseball players applied to the regional events which were held in multiple cities nationwide. The top 218 athletes will showcase their abilities in the 2011 Area Code Baseball Games at Blair Field in Long Beach, Calif. Aug. 5-10, 2011

The Area Code Baseball Games were created in 1987 in Lodi, Calif. by Bob Williams and the Northern California Major League Scouts. The goal was to bring together the best high school underclassman baseball players from geographical areas based on telephone area codes. Nearly 3,000 players compete nationwide for a chance to participate in the final Area Code Baseball games, the premiere search for the nation’s top baseball players. More than 350 Major League players have participated in Area Code Baseball.

Area Code Baseball offers players a unique opportunity to train like major league athletes and play in a competitive atmosphere. For some, this will be a precursor to careers as professional baseball players. The Games have produced more than 500 Major Leaguers including alumni such as Dustin Pedroia, Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett.

The four games will be streamed live on Tues., Aug. 9, on ESPN3.com. Commentators for the Games include Jim Watson, Bob Scanlon and Beto Duran. The broadcast schedule is as follows:
8:30 a.m. PST: Reds v. Brewers
11:30 a.m. PST: Royals v. Nationals
2:30 p.m. PST: White Sox v. Nationals
5:30 p.m. PST: Athletics v. Yankees