Sixteen Coronado Little Leaguers are being given the opportunity of a lifetime as they travel to Cooperstown, New York this August to partake in competition and festivities, thanks to the Marshall Gates Foundation.
Cooperstown is famously home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the Little League World Series.
The all-expenses-paid trip will invite the 16 young baseball players to demonstrate their talent and passion for the game of baseball as they compete in the Cooperstown Dream Park Tournament.
The 16 athletes were chosen by Coronado Little League coaches familiar with the boys and their skill sets.
First of its kind experience
While the foundation has sent many teams across the country, this experience will be the first of its kind as the foundation tries to expand their demographic to meet a younger audience.
Foundation trustee Kevin Gates would like to see it continue.
“It’s our first and we’re gonna try and do it every year for the next few years and see how it goes,” said Gates.
For Gates, the trip is about more than just a game of baseball.
It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.”
-Foundation trustee Kevin Gates.
“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. Some of my fondest childhood memories were playing Little League baseball,” said Gates.
Instilling a passion for baseball
Gates hopes this experience will further instill a passion for baseball in many of the boys, inadvertently growing them into young men.
“I think it’s a matter of giving the kids some guidance…teaching them some values,” said Gates. “That’s the whole purpose of what we’re trying to do, make the kids better kids.”
The Marshall Gates Foundation was founded in 2004 and named after Gate’s late son, Marshall. Marshall was an avid baseball player and fan.
What is the Marshall Gates Foundation?
The foundation supports young, talented players through training for national and international competitions. The foundation has seen the likes of many historic players including MVPs Bryce Harper and Kris Bryant.
This past week, the team of little leaguers traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah to attend the Major League Baseball Alumni Clinic for kids.
Former major league baseball players and the Utah Marshalls, dubbed “America’s Premier Summer Baseball Program, hosted the camp.
All Utah Marshalls in attendance have either been drafted or are attending a major college baseball program, six of whom will report to the reigning national champions Louisiana State University this fall.
First stop: Fenway Park
Following the clinic, the trip will first kick off in Boston, as the team plans to attend a Boston Red Sox game.
With the baseball juices flowing, the team will drive four hours to Cooperstown for the tournament.
The tournament will see 100 teams compete, with each team playing a minimum of six games.
