Bloomingdale Youth Sports Association (BYSA) held its first-ever Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run event on July 16.
Major League Baseball (MLB) Pitch Hit & Run is a free one-day event for boys and girls ages 7-14 that provides a fun experience for participants and an opportunity for them to showcase their baseball and softball skills. Athletes are tested and their measurements are recorded. Winners in each age division are determined by a cumulative score. The winners have a chance to advance to two higher level competitions: a team championship held in MLB stadiums, hosted locally at Tropicana Field, and an all-expenses-paid trip for two to compete at the national finals, which is hosted at the World Series.
BSYA President David Nolte said the event was a tremendous success and that BSYA is looking forward to continuing hosting it.
“The MLB Pitch, Hit & Run event held at Bloomingdale Youth Sports Association was a great way for kids from all over the area to showcase their skills in baseball and softball with a chance to win a free trip to the MLB All-Star game. We had an excellent turnout with kids coming from all over Hillsborough, Pinellas and Polk counties and even as far away as Sarasota. It is a great event that we look forward to holding again next year,” Nolte said.
BYSA board member Sarah Brennick said 164 kids registered for Bloomingdale’s Pitch, Hit & Run event. Next year’s goal is to have over 175. Once it reaches that number of participants, BYSA will be hosting an automatic qualifying event and its winners will automatically move on to the state-level team championship.
Brennick shared that BYSA loves to engage the community. The community is welcome to use the BYSA fields because they are a Hillsborough County park. Two fields are open to the public, which are first-come, first-served from dawn to dusk, and the T-ball field is open as well.
“We like to focus on things we can do within the community. We have an amazing nonprofit, volunteer organization right here in our backyard,” Brennick said.
Congratulations to BYSA’s 2023 Pitch, Hit & Run winners:
Softball: Division 7/8, Madison Ooley; Division 9/10, Madilyn Jarocki; Division 11/12, Victoria VanAlmen; and Division 13/14, Chanel Williams.
Baseball: Division 7/8, Owen Fiedler; Division 9/10, Henry Brennick; Division 11/12, Christian Gaines; and Division 13/14, Dylan Dahlback.
For more information about MLB Pitch, Hit & Run, visit www.mlb.com/pitch-hit-and-run.
For more information about the Bloomingdale Youth Sport Association, visit www.bysafl.com or email bysaflorida@gmail.com.
