Teams deliver the fun during Play Ball Weekend

From Albuquerque to Worcester, Beloit to Biloxi and beyond, all 120 Minor League teams proudly joined their Major League parent clubs and other partners around the world from June 10-12 to celebrate Play Ball Weekend, an annual event that aims to inspire youth participation in baseball and softball. (This year's celebration even reached Antarctica.)

Whether at their home ballparks or at local youth fields, MiLB teams conducted a variety of Play Ball clinics, Pitch, Hit & Run and Jr. Home Run Derby competitions, youth baseball and softball tournaments as well as games and events involving local Challenger Baseball leagues and Miracle League programs.

Below is a compilation of recaps from a handful of teams as they share highlights from their local Play Ball activities:

El Paso Chihuahuas

"On Saturday, the Chihuahuas celebrated Play Ball Weekend by hosting a free baseball camp for close to 200 children, many of whom had never played baseball before. With help from local baseball and softball coaches, participating kids ran through a series of informal baseball and softball centered stations, including home run hitting, fielding, pitching, bat & ball games and more. Fans got to take pictures with Chico and parents got to enjoy watching their children have some fun under the sun in a professional ballpark at Southwest University Park. Upon exit, each child received a Franklin bat & ball set so they can 'Play Ball' at home."

Norfolk Tides

"On Friday, June 10 we visited Tidewater Park Elementary in Norfolk, Virginia, which is a Title 1 School located downtown, about a mile away from Harbor Park. We thought they would be a great partner to work with for the MLB Play Ball Weekend. These third, fourth and fifth graders are not nearly as exposed to baseball as they are with basketball and football. So we thought what a great way to introduce baseball to them. Our entire Tides staff headed over to the school on Friday morning for some fun Whiffle ball action, ice cream and hanging with Triton our mascot!

"We assisted the students in hitting, throwing and positioning on the field. The students really enjoyed the experience of playing baseball with us at the school. Our staff really enjoyed showing them our favorite pastime and interacting with them. The teachers were also excited to see them so excited about playing baseball and kept running up to them and asked if they saw them crush the ball. I am not sure who had more fun when the day was done: the Tides staff or the awesome students of Tidewater Park."

Cedar Rapids Kernels

"The Kernels and our naming rights sponsor, Perfect Game USA, teamed up with Minor League Baseball in 2009 to create the League of Dreams in our community. The purpose of this league was to create a free league for boys and girls in 2nd and 3rd grade to participate in. The league is offered to those in our community that may not have the opportunity to play on a traveling team. We worked with Minor League Baseball to provide shirts, caps and other equipment for the league, and locally our naming rights sponsor, Perfect Game USA would provide the coaching for the league.

"The Kernels hold an annual All-Star Game for the kids in this league and their families each year. This All-Star Game consists of a picnic meal provided by the Kernels free for the kids, their families and anyone they wish to bring. No one is turned away. They eat their ballpark meal then the kids participate in the All-Star Game on Perfect Game Field. The Kernels staff announces the kids when they bat, and team photos are taken to commemorate the day.

"In 2022, we used this special event as our Play Ball Weekend to expand on what the kids are able to get. Following the All-Star game these kids and their families get to attend an upcoming Kernels game, free of charge for the league participants, their families and any guests they want to bring. They will be attending the game on Tuesday, June 14th.

"This league was created in a time in our community where low-income fields had been destroyed by a 100 year flood in 2008. Together with Perfect Game USA, Minor League Baseball and the Kernels we repaired the fields in 2009 and have since continued to run the League of Dreams."

Hudson Valley Renegades

"On Saturday, June 11, in conjunction with Dave Clark Baseball and our local Think Differently initiative, the Renegades welcomed over 70 individuals to Dutchess Stadium to participate in a fun morning of baseball activities with the entire Hudson Valley Renegades team and coaching staff. Each participant received a camp T-shirt and tickets for the following day’s game. Disability, Dream and Do (D3) participants were able to hit, throw, catch and run the bases by rotating through five different stations. We use soft baseballs and bats for this event and the participants and their families all get to play together with our team. Once the participants visited each of the stations, they got to take part in the High-Five Game, where everyone got an at bat and once they hit the ball, they circled the bases and high-five all of the Renegades players. Following the game, the Renegades players signed autographs for the participants, everyone got together for a group picture and then lunch was served. At the Renegades game on Sunday, June 12, everyone who returned for the game participated in a High-Five tunnel as the Renegades took the field for the anthem. This is an annual event that has become very popular in our local special needs community. The Renegades were proud to be able to include this event in the Play Ball Weekend lineup of events. Per Renegades President / GM Steve Gliner, 'This is by far and away the best event we do each year.'

"Then on Sunday, following our home game against the Jersey Shore Blue Claws, the Renegades hosted 75 kids between the ages of 8-14 for a two-hour clinic. Each participant received a camp T-shirt and two tickets for that day’s game. Renegades Manager Tyson Blaser, Hitting Coach Rob Benjamin and Pitching Coach Spencer Medick led the Renegades Collegiate Travel Baseball Team in setting up and implementing 10 baseball skill stations. The campers were split into groups and over the next 90 minutes, they rotated through those stations and learned/practiced specific ways that they could refine their baseball skills. After the stations, the kids were all timed running from home to first base and then moved into the stands for a group picture and a Q&A with the Renegades Field Staff. Once the clinic was over, the kids all shook hands, said thank you to all the coaches and staff and received their Franklin Bat & Ball set. The kid’s families and guardians were on site to witness the camp and we received all positive comments from everyone involved. The event allowed us to help the participants develop an even stronger passion for the game, as well as to help the Renegades connect even deeper with the community that we have called our home since 1994."