Whaling City Youth Baseball Postpones All Playoff Games for EEE

NEW BEDFORD — The severity of the ongoing threat of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus continues to be displayed.

In a post to Facebook, the Whaling City Youth Baseball League has announced that all playoff games at The Whale, located at Brooklawn Park, this week have been postponed.

A popular youth baseball organization in the city, league leaders say the move is out of concern for the health of all players and family members attending the games following the tragic death of a 59-year-old Fairhaven woman who contracted EEE.

“In the interest of the safety and health of our players, famlies, coaches and fans, We are postponing all playoff games at The Whale this week, as a result of the continued EEE threat. All games will be played on the weekend. Times of games will be released shortly and teams will be notified by their Managers,” the League’s official Facebook page said in post.

“We at Whaling City take nothing more seriously than the health and well-being of the youngsters and families who make up our organization. There should be no use of our fields after 6:00 pm per order of the Executive Board.”

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed to WBSM News on Sunday that a woman over the age of 50 in southern Bristol County was the state's fourth human case of EEE this year.

The City of New Bedford and surrounding areas have been classified as being at a critical risk for a human EEE infection.