SARASOTA (SNN-TV) – Baseball is meant to be fun. The Sarasota Babe Ruth 14-U team is personifying that statement prior to their biggest tournament of the season.
The 2022 Florida South 13, 14, & 15-Under Babe Ruth Tournament begins Thursday at the Sarasota Babe Ruth League Complex, off Fruitville Road.
Sarasota has a team in all three brackets. But the 14-U team boats some great talent. The team led by Riverview High baseball assistant coach Michael Marquez, tends to look at the game from a different lens.
Contrary to other summer leagues and travel ball organizations, Sarasota Babe Ruth appeals to the fun of the game, according to outfielder Logan Cocco.
“Babe Ruth is more chill, [you] learn the sport, get better. Other than high school or travel ball, where its try to win and try to win, its so competitive. But, Babe Ruth is just relaxed, you learn, work on mechanics, and its just more fun.” – Logan Cocco
Honing in on fundamentals and improvement, the 14U team provides an escape for teens who either have an untapped love for the game or want to learn baseball from the ground up. Having played in the league when he was younger and now volunteering as a coach, Michael Marquez says the chains are off for the kids he coaches in Babe Ruth.
“Come here there’s no pressure, no stress. You just have fun, you enjoy. That should be what the game is about for kids at this age, 13 to 15. Maybe they want to play now and they get into high school and they don’t want to play. You should try and have good memories, and when you come out here, you do that.” – Michael Marquez
With the 14U though, there is an added element that most teams don’t have, major-league experience. But that is the case, with the help from former big-leaguer and Sarasota Sailor Scooter Gennett. Steele Williams, a left hand pitcher and outfielder for the team, says having Scooter around is a welcomed sight.
“Its pretty cool because it gives you a tool that no one really else has. You can look at the TV and they’ll be talking about Scooter because he made history with the Reds a couple years ago. You’re like, ‘He’s my coach at Babe Ruth’, that’s pretty cool!” – Steele Williams
For Gennett it’s not about finding himself in the spotlight, but providing an alternative to Suncoast families when it comes to travel ball. Volunteering as part of the staff allowed him to keep his idea of fun present in youth baseball.
“There’s great travel ball teams, don’t get me wrong. There’s great travel ball teams in this area, I played travel ball. But, at the earlier ages, 12, 13, 14, traveling every weekend and going to different places can be very taxing, not only on the players, [but] on parents, the money. Its a lot. When you have this available in Sarasota, to be able to play 20-something games, practice, for me – why not do both?” – Scooter Gennett
For the 14U Sarasota squad, they’re in the Yellow Pool and has games at 1 p.m. Thursday against Key West, 8 a.m. Friday against Phipps Park and 9 a.m. Saturday against Bartow. Going into those games seeing improvement and a smile runs parallel with the outcome of the contest.
“Sometimes you need a break. Sometimes you need to be apart of a league, where you know, its about getting better, having fun, and learning about how to be a good teammate. That’s really a lot of the things that we preach. So, for me those are the differences, we’re not trying to win every game, we’re trying to make every kid better.” – Scooter Gennett
