Albany wraps up regular season in Little League

By Melinda L. Lucas

Albany Little League concluded its 2025 regular season last week, with teams in both the Majors and Minors divisions now turning their attention to postseason play in the District 5 Little League tournament.

Reds, Indians Take League Titles

In the Majors division, the Reds, led by coach Joe Tidwell, posted an impressive 11-1 record to capture the league championship. 

Coach Spencer Balliew’s Eagles followed at 7-5, while the Oilers, coached by Teagan Brown, went 5-7. The Indians, under Steven Sutton, rounded out the standings at 1-11.

In the Minors, Sutton’s Indians turned in a dominant season, finishing 10-1-1 to win league play. Brown’s Oilers finished 7-4-1, followed by Tidwell’s Reds at 4-8 and Balliew’s Eagles at 2-10.

“It was a competitive season, and our coaches and players did a great job working around the weather to make it through the schedule,” said Steven Sutton, who serves as both Albany Little League president and district administrator.

Postseason Play Begins

The District 5 tournament began this week with opening games played Monday and Tuesday nights at Albany’s Little League fields, where volunteers scrambled to get the fields ready after heavy rain Sunday night. While rain was expected again Monday evening, Albany stayed dry enough for games to proceed.

In Monday’s action, the Minors Oilers fell to Snyder, 8-4. The Majors Eagles were eliminated in a 13-1 loss to the Clyde Red Sox.

Tuesday’s results were not available at press time, but the Majors Reds and Minors Indians were scheduled to play at home. The Reds were to face the winner of Monday’s Snyder Padres–Brownwood Marlins game, while the Indians were matched against the winner of the Brownwood Angels–Clyde Cardinals contest.

All district tournament games are single elimination, and locations for later rounds will depend on the outcomes of Tuesday’s games and field availability.

Albany is not participating in the machine-pitch tournament this year.

All-Stars Selected 

All-Star players for both divisions have been selected, though names will not be announced until after the district tournament concludes, Sutton said. 

Practice for the all-stars begins Monday, with pool play getting underway on June 6 and bracket games on June 13.

Despite early season rescheduling and challenges with weather, Sutton expressed appreciation for the efforts of coaches, parents, and volunteers.

“Our community steps up every year to make sure these kids get to play,” Sutton said. “From dragging fields after storms to working out schedules for makeup games, it’s all about giving these players a chance to grow and enjoy the game.”