High school baseball tournament to feature wood bats

A 24-team high school baseball tournament featuring schools from the Los Angeles City Section begins Friday at the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy in Compton and other local fields.

In games played at the academy, teams will use wood bats instead of the usual metal bats.

“The idea is that kids will want to see how good they are, and wood is the standard,” said Darrell Miller, senior director of the Urban Youth Academy.

The Dennis Gilbert MLB UYA Easter Classic will conclude on April 3 with a championship game at 10 a.m. at the Urban Youth Academy.

The teams entered are Bell, Belmont, Contreras, Eagle Rock, Elizabeth, Fairfax, Franklin, Fremont, Fulton Prep, Gardena, Lincoln, Los Angeles, Hamilton, Hollywood, LACES, Locke, Marshall, Monroe, North Hollywood, Port of L.A., SOCES, Venice and Washington.

Most of the games will be played at the academy, but fields at Bell, Hollywood, Monroe, Roybal and West Adams high schools will also be used.

— Eric Sondheimer