For the first time ever, a team made up entirely of kids from South Orange and Maplewood will be participating in the Cooperstown All Star Village Tournament in Cooperstown, NY, the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
SOMA’s team — the Yard Dogs — will be competing this summer with hundreds of 12U teams. Teams attend from all 50 states across the country.
The teams visit for one week, playing six games to determine seeding before entering a single-elimination tournament. The experience also includes a home-run derby, opening and closing ceremonies, team pin exchanges, and trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“This group of players has trained and grown together over time to play solid, fundamental baseball,” said local dad and Yard Dogs founder Chris Schwegel. “What makes it particularly special for this group is that they all come from SOMA and are able to take the bonds they form as teammates and extend that off the field. This tournament is a once in a lifetime experience, and it’s so meaningful that these memories will be made with kids who they see every day, whether at school or when walking through town.”
The team is fundraising to cover costs, and Yard Dogs parent Sarah Connelly says the goal is to work with the towns’ recreation departments to ensure club-level baseball is open to all SOMA kids: “The reason why we are pushing our fundraising so hard, is to establish for the town that there is community support for such competitive programs.” Connelly said such programs should be provided “for all kids, not just those who have the means to be part of a club team.”
Community members can contribute through an upcoming fundraiser at St. James’s Gate in Maplewood, with 20% of all proceeds from 5:30 p.m. to close on May 21 going to the team, or on the Yard Dogs donation page.
The Yard Dogs was formed to provide SOMA residents with competitive baseball beyond the town’s summer program. The Yard Dogs has provided competitive game play opportunities in the Spring, tournament play in other seasons and advanced training in the Fall and Winter.
The Yard Dogs is an independent youth baseball organization based in South Orange, NJ. The team is not affiliated with the Town of South Orange. The Yard Dogs is in its fourth year of operation. It operates two teams comprised exclusively of South Orange and Maplewood residents.
The Cooperstown Tournament is expensive and a significant undertaking. Each family that sends a player to the tournament can expect costs that start at $5,000 for registration costs ($1,600 per player,) room and board for the player’s family, transportation and other essentials.
To this point, fundraising efforts have been successful and include direct solicitations from friends and family, business sponsorships and fundraisers (ex. Super Bowl Pool, BGR, St James’s Gate.) Our goal is to cover tournament registration costs and costs directly related to the tournament such as costs for the umpires.
Introducing the Yard Dogs:
