Metro Parks baseball championship games set for July 9 at Cheney Stadium

The spotlight is set to focus on Cheney Stadium where outstanding youth baseball players of the Metro Parks Competitive Baseball League take the field July 9.

This is the second of what is planned as an annual championship event to highlight baseball in Tacoma. Metro Parks Tacoma organized the competitive league last year in response to a community need with the end of the Pioneer Pony Baseball League in 2013.

The July 9 event is the culmination of the league’s season for boys 9 to 14 years old and a chance to highlight the new 16U Division with an All-Star game of 16U players. 

The event kicks off at 5 p.m. with a 14U championship game followed by a Parade of Metro Parks League teams and players. Metro Parks Tacoma had 146 baseball teams competing during the 2015 season with 49 competitive teams and 97 recreational teams. At about 7:30 p.m., the 16U All-Star game begins to culminate the evening.

One of the all-star team coaches is Metro Parks Commissioner Aaron Pointer, a former major league baseball player. At last year’s championship, Pointer threw out the first pitch. This year, he nominated Commissioner Larry Dahl. Commissioner Dahl said he’s happy to see Metro Parks fields filled in summer with baseball players like these. He also commended the work of organizer Bob Houston, Metro Parks’ senior recreation coordinator.  

“The Cheney Stadium event is like a reward for a successful season,” Dahl said. “It gives the youngsters the opportunity to play on a professional field and see what it’s really like.”

He recalled having a similar, thrilling experience as a Tacoma teen, but in an earlier Cheney stadium, since displaced by development.

TV Tacoma will televise the event. Every time a player comes up to bat, his picture and number will be displayed on the Cheney scoreboard. “The fact that it’s televised is great,” Dahl said. “The kids can record it, watch themselves on TV, play it later on and keep it for the memories.”

During the games, people associated with Metro Parks Tacoma and youth sports will be interviewed, including Metro Parks Commissioner Andrea Smith.

Between the two games, as many as 2,000 youngsters – members of Metro Parks’ competitive, recreational, specialized and adaptive sports teams – are invited to parade around the diamond in their team uniforms. The first 1,000 Metro Parks league players who show up in uniform to participate in the parade will receive a voucher for a free ticket to a future Tacoma Rainiers game as well as other prizes and giveaways.

Tacoma Athletic Commission chipped in $1,000 to support the event, and City of Tacoma gave its Community Day at Cheney Stadium to Metro Parks to use for the event.

The Metro Parks Competitive Baseball League consists of 49 teams, mostly in the Tacoma area, but also including ones in Federal Way, Gig Harbor, Puyallup, University Place and Lakewood. 

Teams competing for the under-14 championship are the winners of a tournament among the eight teams in that age division. The all-star teams are made up of two nominees from each of the 14 teams in division for players 16-and-under.

Besides Commissioner Pointer, other all-star team coaches are Aaron Trolia, head coach at Lincoln High School and owner of Northwest Prospects Academy; Tacoma School Board member Scott Heinze; and Rhett Parker, a Foss High School graduate who runs Northwest Elite Baseball.

Championship Baseball at Cheney Stadium
 

• What: Cheer for your favorite team during the Metro Parks Tacoma youth competitive baseball championship game
• When: 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday, July 9
• Where: Cheney Stadium, 2502 S. Tyler St., Tacoma WA 98405
• Cost: Free