When Doug Leeber poured resources into restoring the Beckley Babe Ruth program in 2019, his hope was to grow the sport of baseball and give area kids the opportunity to play against competition from around the state and eventually country.
So far the returns have been stellar.
Since taking over as president of the organization, the Beckley Babe Ruth All-Stars have made two Ohio Valley Regionals, collecting state championship wins in 2019 against Elkins and most recently this summer against Huntington.
“The last state championship for us came in 2019 before Covid took ’20 and ’21 away,” Leeber said. “This year the same coaches – Antonio Leopardi, Eddie Wilson and Cameron Pack – that coached the 2019 team also coached this team to a state championship.
That sends us to the Ohio Valley Regional which means you’ll face about 10 teams that are also state champions then you get to go to the Babe Ruth World Series”
The league has given an opportunity for kids all around the region to play in a competitive summer ball format, as was Leeber’s goal from the jump.
“We’re just not Beckley,” Leeber said. “We have some of Wyoming County too. There are no other charters down the state line. We get kids from everywhere. You’ve got four Indy kids, four Shady kids, and four Beckley kids on the all-star team. We’ve got kids all around the county. Even though it’s Beckley Babe Ruth, we’re still regional. Any kid that wants to come play from any area – Elkins and Huntington are the only other charters that play in our league.”
The culmination of success also means the program will need some help. The state champion all-star team will leave early next week for Eau Claire, WI. to play in the Ohio Valley Regional and vie for spot in the World Series.
Unfortunately an extended trip to Wisconsin isn’t cheap and as such the program is seeking help with expenses.
In all, the trek west is a 13-hour trip one way with the team leaving early this coming week and staying until the 24th. Expenses that will need to be covered include hotels, food, vehicle rentals, etc. As such Leeber has made his plea to businesses throughout Raleigh County to help in any way they can.
“They can contact us through our Facebook page which is ‘Beckley Babe Ruth at Harry Lewin Field’ and even write a check to Beckley Babe Ruth or call me,” Leeber said. “All checks can be made payable to Beckley Babe Ruth and my phone number is 304-266-8766 and then there’s the coach Antonio Leopardi. His number’s 304-731-3969 and he’s also created a gofundme account if people want to help electronically. Remember it’s not just Beckley, we’ve got kids from all over Raleigh County on this team.”
Those wishing to donate to the team’s gofundme can do so by following the link here: Beckley Babe Ruth gofundme.