Buddy Baseball January 2020 Newsletter

Hello Buddy Baseball Fans,

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a great holiday season and is ready to start playing Buddy Baseball in February. We started out the year with the ribbon cutting and an exhibition game on our brand-new synthetic turf field! We had four local television stations out on a chilly Monday morning to cover the event. See one of the videos below.

During our spring season we will be awarding at least two buddies that are graduating high school a $1000 scholarship. To be eligible to apply, buddies need to have participated in at least three seasons of Buddy Baseball. More information below.

Our rosters are full for the players, but we still could use a few more buddies and coaches. Please spread the word.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 15th, for our Meet and Greet luncheon at the Lightfoot Center. I'll be sending out the team rosters, Meet and Greet information and schedules in late January. Opening Day is Saturday, February 22nd.

I can't wait to start playing on the new field!

Russ Oberbroeckling

Executive Director

Link to our website

New Field

Thanks to all that came out for our ribbon cutting and exhibition game on our new field. We had representatives from the City of Temple Terrace, Temple Terrace Recreation Department, Hillsborough County Public Schools, Uptown Chamber of Commerce, Tampa Bay Rays and Buddy Baseball Board of Directors. Rays radio broadcaster Dave Wills came out to announce the game and Raymond from the Tampa Bay Rays was also in attendance. However; the big thanks go out to the Buddy Baseball players and fans. THANK YOU to all who came out, and all who watched at home.

New Field Video

Sarah Otteson Scholarship

Our Sarah Otteson Buddy Scholarship is available to graduating seniors who have played at least three seasons of Buddy Baseball. An independent panel of judges will select our winners. Each winner will receive a $1000 scholarship.

Application deadline: Saturday, March 14th.

Click on the link to apply. Good Luck!

Sarah Otteson Scholarship Application

Player Spotlight

Wesley Keeney

Wesley is a veteran player in the league. He attends

Hope Ranch Learning Academy. He has two turtles, two fish, two tortoises, a hermit crab, three brothers and a sister. Wesley is the oldest of five. His favorite breakfast is biscuits and gravy. Science is his favorite subject in school. If he were famous it would be for swimming.

Buddy Spotlight

Taylor George

Taylor is a long-time member on the Hit Squad and is 17 years old. She attends Tampa Prep and her most prized possession is her cat named Rebel. They share the same birthday! Taylor loves to cook and has been accepted to six colleges. Her special talent is playing the violin. When she grows up, she wants to be a restauranteur.

Rookie Spotlight

Anthony (AJ) Marziano

Anthony Marziano

Anthony (AJ) completed his rookie season this past fall. He will turn 11 next month. AJ attends Center Academy. AJ was born in New York and moved to Florida when he was two. He takes piano and karate lessons. His most prized possession is his bike and if he were famous, it would be for being a bike stunt artist. AJ wants to be a cowboy when he grows up and his favorite restaurant is Applebee's.

C oach Spotlight

Todd Walden

Todd was born and raised in Florida. He is the d irector of a consulting firm that provides federal tutoring support to students at risk, neglected and delinquent as a federal contractor for the public school system. Todd has been an Exceptional Student Education Certified teacher for 25 years working in schools with children with special needs.

Todd spends a major majority of his time with his daughter getting her to and from her volunteer activities. He enjoys golfing when he has the time to play. After watching his daughter participate her first year, there was no way that he could be a spectator, so Todd has been a coach for four seasons now. "I have a genuine love for the players and families of Buddy Baseball and hope that my extensive experience in the field of special education can help families through their journey in life and in faith."

Parent Spotlight - Diane Fox

Diane Fox

Diane has lived in Florida since she was four years old. She was married to Howard Fox for 31 years before he passed away in 2017. She has three children and four grandchildren, with newest grandchild born last month. They loved Buddy Baseball and seeing how much Josh enjoys it. Josh has played since the second season. Diane teaches licensed practical nursing (LPN) at Brewster Tech in Tampa. Diane is passionate about sharing her love for nursing with her students. She also enjoys being a facilitator for Griefshare at her church. She's passionate about helping others process their grief.

Diane's hobbies are keeping Josh busy and happy! That means piano lessons, special Olympics bowling and swimming competitions, attending Plant City High School football games since he is a cheerleader with the Junior Varsity cheerleaders Elite team and greeting at their church. A favorite memory from Buddy Baseball would have to be when Coach Sarah Otteson brought her friends from school to cheer for the team and gave a poster to him with his famous saying - "How you doing?!" written on it. Josh loved the attention and the poster!

Sponsor Spotlight

DeBartolo Family Foundation

The DeBartolo Family Foundation is a long-time sponsor of Buddy Baseball. Their foundation provides faith and supports the dreams of its recipients. Since 2001, the DeBartolo Family Foundation has given hope to many less fortunate individuals and groups in the Tampa Bay area and beyond. Their devotion to the community remains steadfast and strong. They are proud of the contributions their Foundation has made.

DeBartolo Family Foundation