DuQuoin baseball tournament named for 'Beaver' Rice

DUQUOIN, Ill. (AP) - A baseball tournament to benefit Special Olympics has been named for a man with a passion for the sport and its athletes.

The 2015 Beaver Rice Memorial Boys Baseball Wood Bat Winter Indoor Classic will be this weekend at the Southern Illinois Center at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.

The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reports (http://bit.ly/1C8KYwV ) that it has been named for Charles "Beaver" Rice, who died Dec. 19.

Assistant tournament director Jacob Emling says Rice was a big softball and baseball fan. He says that "Beaver was a friend to many of us - the community and the schools."

Officials say 19 traveling teams will play. Lee's Sports in Nashville and Rawlings are sponsors. Rawlings will donate bats to each team.

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Information from: Southern Illinoisan, http://www.southernillinoisan.com