Keith Cawley
Eyewitness Sports
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Tenn. (WRCB) -- The Lookout Mountain Dixie Youth Association is one of the oldest in the state, so it's only fitting that the mountain top group gets to play a part in hosting this year's historic state championships.
Tennessee Dixie Youth Baseball is celebrating its 50th anniversary by hosting all four state tournaments in the same city for the first time in its history.
Lookout Mountain, Signal Mountain, and Red Bank are all serving as host sites for the seven day event.
Lookout Mountain is the home of this week's Dixie Youth Majors State Tournament for the 11-and-12 year-old age group.
The group, which was founded in 1959, boasts one of Dixie Youth's greatest leaders in the late Nick Senter. Senter was instrumental in bringing the program to Hamilton County some 50 years ago, and later served as commissioner of all Dixe Youth Baseball in 1966.
This week's tournament games are being played at Fairyland Field and Senter Field, the latter of which was named in his memory.
Dixie Youth officials also named the state tournament's sportsmanship award after Senter, and honored his family during the opening ceremonies at McKenzie Arena Sunday night.
This is just the second major tournament being hosted by the Lookout Mountain Dixie Youth Association, who hosted the Dixie Youth World Series back in 1961.
The group won its first-ever state championship in 2007 when the Lookout Mountain 9-and-10 year-olds won a state title in the Dixie Youth AAA bracket.
2007 Lookout Mountain 9 and 10 year old
State Champions
