ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Youth baseball players at Northwest Youth Baseball and Softball in St. Petersburg are building a new generation of Tampa Bay Rays fans while preparing for their own league games.
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St. Petersburg youth baseball
Local perspective:
Eleven-year-old Nolan Lyver, a catcher in the 12U league, and his teammates are honing their skills on the field while cheering on their hometown professional baseball team.
“I just like the love of the game. Everyone wants to play it. You can play any position that you want as long as you practice,” said Lyver.
Coach Brett Gerdes, who leads a 10-U team, works to foster a fun learning environment and support, so young players grow up as fans of the sport or into student athletes in high school or college. He said he believes having the Rays in St. Petersburg helps foster homegrown fans in the young players.
“Right now, we get of flack that there are a lot of Yankees, Red Sox and away fans at our games. That’s because there’s nobody really who grew up a Rays fan who has another generation growing up as Rays fans, and that’s what we’re doing right now,” said Gerdes.
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World Series tickets surprise
Big picture view:
Several young athletes watched the team’s postseason run, including home runs by Yandy DÃaz and Junior Caminero, as well as pitcher Freddy Peralta earning MVP honors. Ten-year-old Henry Gerdes expressed his excitement for the World Series before his father, Coach Brett, surprised him with tickets to Game 3 on Monday.
“Wow, my brain’s still processing that. That’s amazing,” said Henry Gerdes. “Win or lose, I just like to see them play.”
Local recreational league growth
Why you should care:
Northwest Youth Baseball and Softball serves more than 400 boys and girls aged 3 to 16 in its recreational program. Community leaders hope the growing baseball culture inspires future generations of local athletes and Rays supporters.
“First time in my life that I really paid attention to baseball, and I understand how to play and they make the World Series. It’s exciting,” said 9-year-old Grayson Graves.
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