After decades of prodding and pleading, Marshall Upton got his wish. The 2007 16-year-olds’ Babe Ruth Southwest Regional Tournament is headed to Vicksburg.

&#8220Marshall has a little bulldog in him. He doesn’t give up easily,” said James Wagner, Southwest Regional Director for Babe Ruth Baseball. &#8220We had been talking about it for a while, but I was at a tournament this summer that Marshall was at and he told me about the great facilities and the job the city does.

&#8220To get over here and see the facilities and how well they are taken care of, it’s quite pleasant,” added Wagner, who was in town to sign a contract to bring the five-state tournament to Vicksburg.

Eight to 10 teams, including a host team and the Mississippi state champion, are scheduled to arrive on July 19 and spend as many as 10 days in Vicksburg. Wagner said economic impact, as far as new business brought to the city, on the low end is between $300,000 and $400,000.

An extra wrinkle to decide the host team was added to involve all four high schools in the city. Vicksburg High, St. Aloysius, Porters Chapel and Warren Central will compete against one another four times each in the summer with the winner receiving an automatic tournament berth.

&#8220I think it’s great,” St. Aloysius baseball coach Clint Wilkerson said. &#8220When I was approached about it, I was all for it. I think the main positive is for the kids at all the schools to be able to compete against one another. It’s a way to deter all the garbage talk.”

WC coach Randy Broome and VHS skipper Jamie Creel were at Bazinsky with Wagner and both said they embrace the idea.

The local participant will face a tough challenge. Teams from Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico will vie for spots in the tournament. Texas is broken into three regions and Arkansas is broken into two, allowing at least eight teams to play. All games will be played at Bazinsky Field, which also will get a facelift.

Plans call for new netting behind home plate, removal of a good portion of the chain-link fence, reworked warning tracks and new screens around the bullpens.

Players from opposing teams will stay with host families throughout Vicksburg. A search for volunteer families will start soon, Upton said.

Upton, who helped coach the first Vicksburg team to reach a summer league World Series, said the experience his players had staying with host families in New York was special.

&#8220The kids’ families will be by themselves. There job will be to explore Vicksburg,” Upton said. &#8220The host families will take the kids to practice, feed them and make sure they get to games.”