Daily Statesman Sports Editor

This summer marked the first time since who-knows-when Dexter didn't have an organized Babe Ruth baseball program.

Instead, like many other communities and schools in the area, Dexter opted for a team made up of only Dexter players. A team more in the line of a high school squad, which will help the younger players make the transition from youth league to playing for the Bearcats.

The idea came about because there wasn't going to be an organized Babe Ruth program in Dexter this summer.

With that prospect looming, Bearcats' baseball coach Brian Becker stepped to the plate to ram-rod the new first-year program.

"It didn't look like my kids were going to have any place to play this summer," Becker commented. "So we decided to go this route.

"All in all I thought the program we did this summer was well worth while," Becker continued. "We got to see a lot of different kids, younger kids that are going to be trying out for the team (high school) next season, and we got to evaluate them more than we normally do when we hold our 2-3 day try -out for the team (high school) in the spring. It also gives the younger guys a chance to play more baseball. It gives them a chance to play with guys they will be playing with in the spring on our high school team."

The team was composed of varsity and junior varsity squads, but the summer did pose some problem you don't experience with high school ball.

"It's summer and there are kids gone on vacations, having to work, and some playing for other area squads, and sometimes it was hard to get enough players to show up. But it's just something you have to work around, mix and match kids for different games. It actually worked out better for me because I got to more kids around to different positions and get a feel for how they are going to play."

Between some of the problems, Becker felt the team performed pretty well for its first season.

"I thought we played well this summer," he stated. "We were 8-6, but I wasn't really concerned about records. It was more about getting kids out on the field playing baseball, playing better competition to make them better players down the road.

"Anytime you get the kids more at bats, more mound time, anytime you can get the kids on the baseball field playing, it is going to be good for your program. It will be a big help to our program and help us build for the future."

Becker says more and more communities are going to the home-team approach, and he is hopeful that there will be more teams that follow the lead next year.

"There are more teams going this way, and hopefully there will be other teams nest year," he added. "I guess were not really in a league, just high school teams, but the more teams that go this way, the more benefit I think it will be for everyone. I think it is a move in the right direction."