2008 Season at a Glance

2008 South Thurston Babe Ruth Player Photos Now Available

2008 Photo Update

Sorry for the delay on getting the final game photos online. This has been an unusually busy Father's Day weekend and we have not had a chance to post the large amount of photos taken during yesterday's games. Please keep checking back for further updates and the photos to be posted. Thank you for your patience.

Dreamweavers vs Shelton - 06/12/2008

Nick White heads for second in a win against the Shelton Area Babe Ruth Allstar team Thursday night at Rochester High School.

We are already nearing the end of another great season of Babe Ruth Baseball in the South Thurston area. Final games of the regular season are on Saturday and hopefully the wonderful weather we experienced today will prevail. Good luck to all our teams and we will see you on the field! Please be sure to check back on the website next week for photos of the final regular season games.

Americool vs AChamps - May 15th

Dream Weavers Vs. A Champs of Centralia

Final score 10-0 Dream Weavers at the bottom of 5. Congratulations!

For photos of your player during the 2008 season, check back often.

Tryouts!

Sign ups are now complete for the South Thurston Babe Ruth League. The League will have five teams, two from Tenino and three from Rochester. Thank you to everyone for your enthusiasm and participation even if the weather was less than ideal. All the kids did a great job and the coaches will have a difficult time making choices and forming their teams. Practices will be starting soon so check back often for updates and information.

We would love to know who is checking in on our teams' progress! Please sign our guest book to show your support for youth sports!

Thanks Again!

As we begin our 2008 season, I want to take another opportunity to thank our 2007 sponsors for supporting our South Thurston Babe Ruth program. I’m happy to inform you that our 2007 season was a great success. It would not have been possible without support from within our local business community.

In 2007, 37 kids from the Oakville, Rochester and Tenino school districts registered to play baseball in our league. With your help we were able to provide a great experience for those kids and I’m happy to report that this year our registrations have increased to 65 kids. We are excited about the growth our program has experienced and are looking forward to a great 2008 season.

Again, this would not have been possible without the assistance we received from Americool, The Lucky Eagle Casino, Sterling Savings Bank, Rochester ReMax Realty, V.J.'s Bargain Barn, Rochester Lumber and others who recognize the importance of recreational sport programs for the youth in our community.

As you know we are an all volunteer based organization that strives to teach team values, sportsmanship and respect for others. However, none of this would be possible without the volunteers that give their time to help make sure the youth of our communities have access to these activities.

Thank you once again to everyone involved in making 2007 South Thurston Babe Ruth a huge success!

Sincerely,
Michael Hoskison

Player Tryouts

South Thurston Babe Ruth player tryouts will be held on Saturday, March 15th at Rochester High School. Please be sure your player(s) check in 15 minutes prior to the appointed time. Good luck to all as we start this 2008 season!

It's That Time of Year Again!

It is that time of year again to be thinking about baseball! We are writing to let you know about an informational meeting regarding the 2008 South Thurston Babe Ruth Season. South Thurston Babe Ruth is open to kids age 13-15 who reside in Tenino, Rochester or Oakville School districts.

The information meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at the Rochester Middle School. We will have information available about how to sign up and participating or learning more about Babe Ruth baseball. Please feel free to share information abou the meeting with others who might be interested.

We are planning Babe Ruth signups for Saturday, March 1, 2008 at the Rochester Middle School from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and then from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Tenino Middle School.

If you have any questions regarding the informational meeting or signups, please feel free to contact Michael Hoskison at (360)273-3070. We look forward to seeing you there!

Random Photos

Thank You!

Thank you to all who took the time to participate in the 2007 Babe Ruth Season for South Thurston. Without your help, sponsorship, coaching and other talents, this season would have been a much more difficult undertaking. Please keep checking this site for more photos, off season activities and information about the upcoming season.

Again, a huge thanks to all and from the parents and kids of the South Thurston Babe Ruth League, a special thanks to Mike and Gail Hoskison for their tremendous efforts and generous division of their time!

Please feel free to comment on the season, photos and events, just be sure to keep all comments positive or constructive in nature as this is a family based sites.

Tournament 2007!

2007 Babe Ruth Tournament - ROCHESTER - South Thurston 14 and 15 year old players competed with teams from the St. Helen's league for the league champion title and the chance to compete in the state tournament.

ST1 @ Rochester

Swede Day Parade Participation - June 16th

Attention South Thurston Babe Ruth Players and Coaches:

In an effort to raise awareness of our organization in this community we have elected to walk in the Swede Day Parade this year. This not only gives us an opportunity to highlight the existence of Babe Ruth Baseball in our community but is also an excellent opportunity to recognize those businesses that gave financial contributions to our league this year. Without their support, we would have had to do additional fund raisers. Their support is greatly appreciated and should be publicly recognized. This will not only say "Thanks" but also may help to secure contributors for next season. Please join us for a few hours on Saturday morning to walk in the parade, toss candy into the crowd and hand out flyers to help spread the word about South Thurston Babe Ruth.

Your participation and a can of food for the local food bank will be greatly appreciated. Please show up in GAME UNIFORM at the staging area near Larry's Chevron by 10:00am on Saturday, June 16th. Let's make a good impression for our community!

Also: Please join us for the South Thurston Babe Ruth Potluck BBQ at 1:00pm following the parade. We will be barbequing hamburgers and hot dogs to celebrate our season. You're welcome to bring a side dish and chairs. SEE YOU THERE!

The Hoskison Residence
17639 Pendleton St SW
Rochester, WA 98579
(360)273-3070

ST2 vs Elks - 5/14 - Rochester

ST3 vs Lacey Cardinals

River Ridge High School - May 11, 2007

This past week was a good week for ST3. Our Babe Ruth team got three wins. Tuesday we had another come from behind win 9-8 and Friday we got a win from the Lacey Cardinals. The Friday game was called due to darkness in the fifth inning with the ST3 team ahead 13-2. A timely double play ended the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. We can still split with the Cardinals as we have one more home game with them this season.

Good defense and timely hitting was a boost this week. We still need to get our pitchers a bit stronger so they can go deeper into a game, as we will bunch up a few games the first week of June.

One of the fine qualities of this team is the never give up attitude. Our record now is 5-4 and I am optimistic that we fill finish the season as a much improved team. I hope that we can continue to get better as a team as we enter the stretch run.

The coming week looks to be a great week for improving. Monday we will have batting practice at five. Our focus will be on developing consistent hitting. We will also have a couple players work on pitching and holding runners on. Tuesday we will travel to Mossyrock. Wednesday the Lacey Cardinals will be visiting. We will have a full practice on Thursday and have batting practice on Friday.

--Pete Duranceau

May 9, 2007 - ST3 vs Toledo

ROCHESTER - Happy Birthday Coach Scott! This victory was for you. Warm weather and a good game made for a victorious outing for the ST3 vs. Toledo.

Picture Day!

Photo day for the South Thurston Babe Ruth teams. Everyone was on time and looking good for their photos. Thank you to Robin of Robin's Photography for his usual great work. We are all looking forward to the end result!

ST3 vs Mossyrock

ROCHESTER - May 7, 2007

ST3 had a come-from-behind-victory Monday night (11-2). The offense was sparked by a home run in the 4th inning. The ST3 bats stayed alive for eleven runs. The ST3 team allowed two early unearned runs by committing three errors. The team started this game a little flat and lethargic. This game also was ended due to darkness.

We are continually getting better as a team, and players are realizing their role as a team. For this I am extremely excited about our season. We still have much work to do, however the contribution that our players will make to the 14-15 year old team will be significant as players are developing good baseball skills and savy.

We will play another home game Wednesday against Toledo and Friday we will be playing the Lacey Cardinals which we have struggled against. We would like to get two wins to finish out this week.

Coach Duranceau

ST3 vs OTBR Tigers

ST3 experienced a disappointing loss on Friday night when their game was called due to lack of light. The team worked hard to come back from a 5-0 1st and 2nd inning and found themselves tied in the 7th inning of play. Because it was too dark to play, the umpire put the score back to that of the previous inning which ended 5-6 Tigers win. A disappointing ending to a close game!

Long Saturday for ST3 at Rochester

ROCHESTER - It was a long day of sunshine, baseball, food, friends and unfortunately losses as ST3 gave up the home field advantage to both Chehalis and Lacey during their double-header. A quick barbeque between games refreshed energy and gave the team a chance to celebrate the birthday of teammate Robert Sprinkle. In the second game, Robert hit a sharp single base drive up the middle in his own birthday celebration. Team members had a good time even without the win being posted and hope for a better showing next game. Please feel free to add comments and share photos relating to our team events. We would like to have input from parents, coaches and players and more in a positive and supportive environment to show our kids good sportsmanship, fun and team pride!

ST2 vs Mossyrock

ROCHESTER - 13, 14 & 15 year old team vs Mossyrock.

ST3 at Lacey Cardinals

Last night we lost a game to the Lacey Cardinals at River Ridge High School. We had many mental miscues, offensively and defensively. The unfortunate end result was an 11-1 loss in the bottom of the 5th due to the mercy rule. Our kids never lost sight of a victory and continued to maintain their composure throughout the game. I was very proud of the fact that a loss was unquestionable in the minds of the players.

My question to the players at the end of the game was; "Are you better now compared to when you began the game?" Many of the players had to think about the "big picture" and move away from the present moment of the loss. Yes, our team is better because we played a baseball game and those mental miscues will help us become better players of the game while developing character.

Coach Duranceau

ST3 in Toledo

South Thurston's 13 year old team took the win and ran with it in Toledo on Monday night. Great efforts in both offense and defense made for an exciting night of baseball and led the 13 year olds to their second victory, (13-2), of the season. Strong bats and fielding helped the pitchers secure this win with 10 runs in the first two innings.

First Game Ends in Victory for ST3!

South Thurston's 13 year old team gains first victory!

ROCHESTER - Strong pitching and powerful bats brought a first victory to the South Thurston 13 year old team against Pierce County Babe Ruth 9-3 Saturday at ST Field in Rochester. A strong first few innings were pitched by Mitch Francis. Derek Grandorf hurled the middle set of innings while Xan Trautman cleaned up the final three innings. In the field Tyler Christensen provided a golden glove performance at 2nd base hauling in a double play ball. Nikko Sprinkle provided coverage behind the plate putting out a PCBR runner at the plate.

History of the Babe Ruth League

Over fifty-five years ago, a group of men dedicated to the youth of America, met in a suburb of Trenton, New Jersey. They formed what became the very first Babe Ruth League. This group of men eventually agreed to name Marius D. Bonacci as the “founder” of the program which was initially registered under the name Little Bigger League. The program was renamed in 1954 when Claire Ruth, George Herman "Babe" Ruth’s widow, who had learned of the merits of the organization and its tremendous growth, met with the administrators. She subsequently gave the organization permission to change its name to Babe Ruth League. Claire has been quoted as saying, “Babe Ruth was a man who loved children and baseball; he could receive no greater tribute than to have a youth baseball program named after him.”

Babe Ruth League, Inc. caught on nationally, then internationally and now ranks as the premier amateur baseball program in the world. Babe Ruth League, Inc. has increased steadily from its first 10-team league in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, to its present combined size of over 1,035,123 players on some 56,622 teams in more than 9,113 leagues.

The success of the baseball program is due to the millions of volunteer hours spent every year. Every volunteer, from the local League Manager to the Chairman of the 17-member International Board, is dedicated to the betterment of youth, while at the same time producing better players. A five-member Executive Staff, assisted by Regional Service Representatives, maintains Babe Ruth's International Headquarters at 1770 Brunswick Pike in the suburban Trenton community of Lawrence Township. Local leagues are independent within the guidelines provided by Babe Ruth League International Board. The Babe Ruth International Board is the governing body while Babe Ruth Headquarters is the administrative and promotional center.

It is the 13-15 Division, started in 1951, where the players get their baseball feet wet for the first time under regulations and rules on standard diamonds. Each chartered league is eligible to enter a team in tournament competition. District winners go into statewide competition with that successful club qualifying for one of eight regional tourneys. This division's first World Series was held in 1952.

The next stop in the baseball ladder for young players is the Babe Ruth 16-18 division, born in 1966 and showing remarkable growth and success. Teams follow a similar route as their 13-15 counterparts with the highlights of the campaign being the 16-18 World Series, which was first held in 1968. This series has gained the attention of Major League Scouts from all 30 clubs.
In 1974 the 13-year-Old Prep League was added with the first 13-year-old World Series being held in 1980. In 1982, Babe Ruth Baseball added yet a third division to its program - the Bambino Division which expanded to all existing areas of the Babe Ruth program. It was a huge success as the division tripled in size from the number of teams that participated in a test pilot program in 1981.

Starting in 1983, each of the eight Babe Ruth Baseball regions offered Bambino tournament competition up to the regional level of play, with the first World Series being held in 1984.
In 1994, Babe Ruth Baseball organized its First World Series for 16-year-old players. Carmel, Indiana was the host of the first 16-Year-Old World Series.

The Babe Ruth Baseball program, above all, is of, by and for youth. It especially tries to make better citizens through proper supervision of regulation competitive baseball in addition to promoting mental and physical development. In adopting rules, in establishing standards and in all planning, the primary consideration is the welfare of the participants.

Babe Ruth Baseball would make the baseball immortal for whom the program is named very proud. Youth always had a special place reserved in "The Babe's" heart.