SHSBulldog00
08-01-2010, 12:29 AM
Waco’s Southern Junior baseball team continued making history last week when it won the Junior League Texas West state title, the first ever for the once downtrodden program.
Before last year, the team composed of 13- and 14-year-olds never so much as won its district.
The state victory clinched a spot in the regional tournament Aug. 6 in Midland, just one step removed from the Little League Junior Baseball World Series in Michigan. Southern might not even make it to Midland.
The team emptied its coffers last week traveling to Fort Worth for state, leaving team officials wondering how they’ll make it to West Texas for the regional tournament with a significant financial shortfall looming.
That means a weekend laden with fundraising and crossed fingers.
“We used pretty much all of the money last week that Southern had left over,” Southern coach Miguel Jimenez said. “We also had our Senior boys, they went to Abilene for the sectional tournament, and they had to use money. We rely on these fundraisers.”
Jimenez’s wife, Rachel, who’s spearheading most of the fundraising, estimates it will take about $4,500 to cover the total cost of a tournament appearance over five days for the entire team and support staff. As of Thursday, Jimenez said Southern had raised about $1,500.
Should the team make it through regionals to reach the World Series, Southern won’t need to worry too deeply about travel costs. Little League covers the bulk of travel expenses and sets up players with host families.
In the interim, though, stress is an unfortunate reality.
“Right now, me and my wife, we’re at each other’s throat because she’s saying it’s not looking too good, and I’m saying, well, you know, let’s just see what happens,” Jimenez said.
“Every day she’s telling me, ‘Hey, it’s not looking too good, hotel rooms cost this much, our food is this much, we’ve got to get a van to go down there.’ It’s kind of stressful on both of us. We get the coaches and the other moms involved, and everybody just wants to do as good as they can.”
While Southern’s startling run through the district, sectional and state tournaments is in severe jeopardy, the team isn’t taking the stress too seriously. The prevailing sentiment is that they’ll find a way to Midland somehow, despite the fact that the team will likely have to stay in a hotel at least 15 miles from the field due to lack of room availability.
“We really don’t worry about the money,” said Southern second baseman Eric Guerrero, an incoming sophomore at University. “If we have to stay at a cheap hotel, we’ll stay at a cheap hotel. Our main priority is to just keep playing ball and win these couple of games.”
To keep that run afloat, the Southern support system is mobilizing.
Team supporters are cobbling together a number of fundraisers this weekend, including a car wash and food sale Sunday at O’Reilly’s Auto Parts on Valley Mills Drive. Team parents are conducting an ongoing tamale sale — Jimenez said they’ll have about 112 dozen prepared — and Jimenez is also putting together a raffle.
The team is collecting money from concession sales at tonight’s Waco Rampage youth game at the South Waco Elementary School baseball field, where Southern Little League president Tony Pena hopes to rake in a modest sum.
“We’ve sent a lot of phone calls throughout the community,” Pena said.
But to raise around $3,000 in a week, Southern might need a little extra help. According to team officials, the cavalry is on the way. Pena said Friday a number of local organizations are lining up in support.
The largest contribution thus far is from the Waco chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, which is throwing $1,000 into the pot. The Waco Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is donating $500, and the American GI Forum is chipping in $250.
Midway Little League president Eddie Burns also pledged monetary support. He’ll present Southern with a check today, despite the fact that Midway is already supporting its own Junior softball team’s run to regionals.
“To me that says a lot about the president of Midway,” Jimenez said.
Midway is conducting its own fundraiser as well. The team is sending around a note advertising financial sponsorship opportunities as Midway prepares to enter regionals in Midland in its own Junior World Series push.
The team will have a table at Shipley’s Donuts on Hewitt Drive from 7:30-11:30 a.m. today to raise funds for the trip, which assistant coach Jerry Guffey said is not in any kind of jeopardy due to financial hardship.
“There’s not a worry we won’t be going to regionals,” Guffey said.
As far as Southern is concerned, stressed as he is, Jimenez remains upbeat.
“I think we’ll make it,” he said. “Once people see that they need the help, I think they’ll step up to help.”
Before last year, the team composed of 13- and 14-year-olds never so much as won its district.
The state victory clinched a spot in the regional tournament Aug. 6 in Midland, just one step removed from the Little League Junior Baseball World Series in Michigan. Southern might not even make it to Midland.
The team emptied its coffers last week traveling to Fort Worth for state, leaving team officials wondering how they’ll make it to West Texas for the regional tournament with a significant financial shortfall looming.
That means a weekend laden with fundraising and crossed fingers.
“We used pretty much all of the money last week that Southern had left over,” Southern coach Miguel Jimenez said. “We also had our Senior boys, they went to Abilene for the sectional tournament, and they had to use money. We rely on these fundraisers.”
Jimenez’s wife, Rachel, who’s spearheading most of the fundraising, estimates it will take about $4,500 to cover the total cost of a tournament appearance over five days for the entire team and support staff. As of Thursday, Jimenez said Southern had raised about $1,500.
Should the team make it through regionals to reach the World Series, Southern won’t need to worry too deeply about travel costs. Little League covers the bulk of travel expenses and sets up players with host families.
In the interim, though, stress is an unfortunate reality.
“Right now, me and my wife, we’re at each other’s throat because she’s saying it’s not looking too good, and I’m saying, well, you know, let’s just see what happens,” Jimenez said.
“Every day she’s telling me, ‘Hey, it’s not looking too good, hotel rooms cost this much, our food is this much, we’ve got to get a van to go down there.’ It’s kind of stressful on both of us. We get the coaches and the other moms involved, and everybody just wants to do as good as they can.”
While Southern’s startling run through the district, sectional and state tournaments is in severe jeopardy, the team isn’t taking the stress too seriously. The prevailing sentiment is that they’ll find a way to Midland somehow, despite the fact that the team will likely have to stay in a hotel at least 15 miles from the field due to lack of room availability.
“We really don’t worry about the money,” said Southern second baseman Eric Guerrero, an incoming sophomore at University. “If we have to stay at a cheap hotel, we’ll stay at a cheap hotel. Our main priority is to just keep playing ball and win these couple of games.”
To keep that run afloat, the Southern support system is mobilizing.
Team supporters are cobbling together a number of fundraisers this weekend, including a car wash and food sale Sunday at O’Reilly’s Auto Parts on Valley Mills Drive. Team parents are conducting an ongoing tamale sale — Jimenez said they’ll have about 112 dozen prepared — and Jimenez is also putting together a raffle.
The team is collecting money from concession sales at tonight’s Waco Rampage youth game at the South Waco Elementary School baseball field, where Southern Little League president Tony Pena hopes to rake in a modest sum.
“We’ve sent a lot of phone calls throughout the community,” Pena said.
But to raise around $3,000 in a week, Southern might need a little extra help. According to team officials, the cavalry is on the way. Pena said Friday a number of local organizations are lining up in support.
The largest contribution thus far is from the Waco chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, which is throwing $1,000 into the pot. The Waco Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is donating $500, and the American GI Forum is chipping in $250.
Midway Little League president Eddie Burns also pledged monetary support. He’ll present Southern with a check today, despite the fact that Midway is already supporting its own Junior softball team’s run to regionals.
“To me that says a lot about the president of Midway,” Jimenez said.
Midway is conducting its own fundraiser as well. The team is sending around a note advertising financial sponsorship opportunities as Midway prepares to enter regionals in Midland in its own Junior World Series push.
The team will have a table at Shipley’s Donuts on Hewitt Drive from 7:30-11:30 a.m. today to raise funds for the trip, which assistant coach Jerry Guffey said is not in any kind of jeopardy due to financial hardship.
“There’s not a worry we won’t be going to regionals,” Guffey said.
As far as Southern is concerned, stressed as he is, Jimenez remains upbeat.
“I think we’ll make it,” he said. “Once people see that they need the help, I think they’ll step up to help.”