Jamaica to make second appearance at Caribbean baseball youth tournament

JAMAICA ARE set to be represented for the second year in a row at the Babe Ruth Caribbean Championships and Invitationals in Nassau, Bahamas, from July 7 to July 11.

Geli-Anne Campbell, assistant commissioner of the Babe Ruth (Jamaica) League and board member of Pioneer Select Baseball and Softball (PSBS), said the team is a collaborative initiative between the Babe Ruth League and PSBS.

Players from PSBS have been selected to represent Jamaica in the under-16 and under-12 competitions.

“The players that are a part of Pioneer Select as a club were nominated by the Jamaica Baseball Association to be a part of the team that represents Jamaica in this tournament,” she explained.

“It is actually a collaboration between Pioneer Select and Babe Ruth Jamaica League, so we have a relationship where we both work together to develop the skills of the children and provide these opportunities for them.”

However, Campbell said a major challenge for the team is raising the funds to ensure the trip is a success for the players.

She explained with their initial budget of US$23,000, plans are now underway to find ways to finance the trip to Bahamas with less than their set amount.

“The original budget we had was approximately US$23,000 including airfare, gear, you name it. We’ve had to pivot quite a bit to get these children to make the trip. We haven’t had any money really coming in from sponsors per se, but we are able to send them off with maybe a little more than half the original budget.”

PSBS coach Kerry-Ann Cooper said the preparations for the tournament are well underway with less than a month until competition.

She believes the opportunity to compete in an international competition is a massive experience for players at this age group, who would not have been afforded consistent tournaments of this level in Jamaica.

“The preparations for training is going good and the kids are doing very well,” she said.

“At this age group, grassroots is the best and it is best for them to start playing at this age, especially like how they are really into the sport.

“Here in Jamaica, we don’t really have tournaments, so we have to try and get them into these tournaments to see where they are at in their own age group.”