Two local baseball teams plan to play like big leaguers in the United States next spring.
The 12U and 10U Orillia Royals rep baseball teams will be fundraising over the coming months to help with their trip to the Cal Ripken Experience Tournament in Aberdeen, Md., where the two squads will get the chance to compete against little leaguers on replica Major League Baseball (MLB) fields.
Several initiatives are planned to help fund the Easter weekend tournament, beginning on Nov. 30 at the Orillia Harvey’s, where 10 per cent of all food purchases will go toward the teams, and games and prizes will be available for the public.
Coach Kyle Walters said this is the first time Orillia will send rep baseball teams to the U.S. for a competition, which he hopes will make great memories for the players.
“(It’s) a great experience for our kids to go down and experience something that they ... never would have gotten a chance to if it wasn't for these fundraising efforts,” he said, highlighting it’s a “huge baseball tournament” with about 15 replica MLB stadiums.
From those memories, Walters hopes the players will develop a lifelong love for the game.
“We want them to experience things in baseball that they don't get to experience anywhere else,” he said. “Baseball, for most of our coaches, has given a lot to us … and a lot of us didn’t get the opportunity to do big, exciting events like this when we were playing as kids, and we just want to be able to instil in these kids a love of the game that we experience.”
Walters estimated $20,000 to $30,000 will be needed to fund the tournament for both squads, with several initiatives planned beyond the initial Harvey’s fundraiser in late November.
The team has planned a cornhole tournament at St. Paul’s Centre on Feb. 8, a spaghetti dinner and raffle/silent auction at the Calvary Pentecostal church in March, and a golf tournament at Bonaire Golf in early May, Walters said, on top of smaller fundraising initiatives through the winter.
William Walters, the 12U first baseman, said he’s most looking forward to playing with his teammates “in a really fun location.”
“I always thought about going to the States to play baseball. It’s been one of my biggest dreams,” he said. “I’m just excited for all my friends to be coming, and it sounds like a great opportunity.”
10U second baseman and catcher Josh Bailey said he’s excited to play on the replica MLB fields.
“It’s going to be fun for a lot of us,” he said.
Walters said more will be posted about the team’s fundraising efforts on the Orillia Legion Minor Baseball Facebook page, and that the public can reach out to the team at [email protected].
