New Baseball Team Ready to Play Ball/ /community support is needed
Author: MT 43 News Staff Reporter
New Baseball Team Ready to Play Ball
Community Support Is Needed
MT 43 News Staff Reporter
Broadwater High School Baseball team scored a home run on Friday when Townsend Rotary President Jeanine Stone presented the baseball program with a $10,000 check. Stone pointed out that all the funds Rotary makes at Fall Fest go back into the community. “This is a great example of good use of the money. We love doing that,” she said.
Middle school teacher Gary Bauman has been one of the driving forces behind organizing the high school baseball club. He has lobbied School District board members for years to underwrite a baseball club. Recently the board agreed to invest $10,000 into building a team, but the group would have to raise money to buy equipment from other sources. “The Rotary funds will go a long way in helping us reach our goal, but we will continue raising money through grant writing and fundraising with a golf tournament this summer,” he explained.
Bauman, who currently coaches the Babe Ruth teams during the summer, pointed out that 184 Broadwater County kids are actively involved in the program. The teams, beginning with T-Ball for six-year-olds to 15-year-olds in advanced teams have already begun practice. Parent coaches lead 16 teams. A board made up of Todd Beatty, President; John Bleile, Vice President and Courtney Johnson, Secretary, with directors Levi VanZee and Bauman, do the scheduling and coordinating for the season.
Asked why forming a high school baseball program is so important, Bauman stressed baseball encourages kids to get out of the house to play sports and get to know other players from nearby towns such as Three Forks and Manhattan. “Before we were able to muster a high school team, little kids would play, then be forced to quit just when they were getting good at the game because we had no high school club. Having a high school team will make all the difference,” he said.
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PhotoCredit: MT 43 News Photographer Nancy Marks
Image 1 Caption: Townsend Rotary President Jeanine Stone hands Coach Gary Bauman a $10,000 check for Townsend baseball clubs.
MT 43 News Photographer Nancy Marks
Image 2 Caption: Townsend baseball players and coaches line up for spring training.
MT 43 News Photographer Nancy Marks
