By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Summer months mean the brutal Texas heat, family vacations and barbecues.
In Del Rio, for a select group of people, it also means traveling to compete in baseball and softball tournaments.
After a year away from the diamond due to the Covid-19 pandemic, youth baseball and softball is back in full force this year. From T-Ball to the senior league of the Del Rio Babe Ruth Baseball League, boys and girls, young men and women, have been practicing and playing on fields across the city in an effort to sharpen their skills and take back a bit of normalcy through a sport they loved.
Beginning June 24, a team of teens will head to Nederland for the 15-year-old all-star Babe Ruth baseball tournament there. At stake is a spot in the regional tournament in Alabama and, hopefully, a shot at the World Series to be played in nearby Eagle Pass.
The tournament is officially called the East Texas State Tournament and features Del Rio, Nederland and several other teams from that area. The competition will be tough, but local coaches are optimistic about the talent they’re bringing to the fight.
“We’re only going to get about 10 days of practice before we leave for Nederland, but we have a good team. We have a lot of kids that can play multiple positions. Every one of these kids earned their spot here,” Hector Sandoval, one of the team’s coaches, said.
Representing Del Rio Babe Ruth Baseball in Nederland will be George Avalos, J.P. Rios, Brandon Ker, Mark Peña, Jose Palafox, Trevor Hill, Eliseo Ortiz, Austin Soto, Austin Plumb, Leonel Olivares, Zane Hughes, Alejandro Guerrero, Julius Flores, Alonso Delgado and Adan Villarreal. Ryan Reyes is the team’s manager and coaches are Sandoval, Guillermo Sanchez and David Gomez.
The athletes on Del Rio’s team come from throughout the area. Most of them are from the Queen City, but there are also players from Brackettville, Quemado and Del Rio’s sister city of Ciudad Acuña , Mexico. They all played in the Babe Ruth Baseball League during the regular season, but now they’ve come together to represent the league this summer.
Some of the players didn’t really stop playing baseball when the pandemic hit. Sandoval estimates half of the players were on traveling teams and competed in tournaments outside of Del Rio. He said many of the others are involved in other sports, such as 7-on-7 football and basketball, keeping them active.
But the work to become a team isn’t the only obstacle this group will have to overcome. It is going to take money to get the team to Nederland and to house them and feed them. The league is paying for the team’s uniforms, Sandoval explained, but the remaining costs need to come from fundraisers.
“We have to pay for a hotel, we have to feed them, we have to rent two vans to transport the team and pay for gas. We’re lucky because we’ve already had some parents who are traveling say their kids can stay with them, but there’s still a big cost we have to cover,” Sandoval said.
Sandoval estimates it will cost about $7,000 to cover expenses. He added that the team has already begun handing out sponsorship letters to local businesses and is holding a raffle to raise funds as well to cover costs.
The raffle, which will be held June 23, is featuring two prizes. One is a Yeti Tundra Haul 45 cooler, courtesy of Rafter R Construction, and the second is a one-day guided Axis hunt, courtesy of the Hill Ranch. Raffle spots are $50 each and can be purchased through coach Guillermo Sanchez at 830-488-5080 or through Sandoval at 830-445-9322. If you’d also like to donate to the team, please contact either coach at the numbers listed.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
