New group from Conejo set to try its luck in Cooperstown

By Kyle Jorreyjorrey@theacorn.com

Every summer for the past decade the city of Cooperstown, N.Y. has opened up its one-of-a-kind baseball facilities to youth teams from around the nation, hoping to share the town’s sports nostalgia with a new generation of ball players and help fill the municipal coffers in the process.

This year, the Warriors, a team of 12-year-olds from Westlake Pony Baseball’s ‘A’ Division, will be the latest group of local youngsters making the trek to baseball’s Mecca to compete in the annual American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame Invitational. This will be the third consecutive year a team from Westlake has competed in the event.

The Warriors will play against 79 other teams in a six-day contest that runs from July 21-26. How they perform in the first three days of roundrobin competition, which includes six games, will determine where the Warriors end up on the single elimination bracket. Last year’s group from Westlake finished in 39th place.

But the event isn’t just about playing baseball. It’s about experiencing the game in its purest form and enjoying a day at Coopertown’s National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The chance to see the unforgettable faces and artifacts from America’s baseball past is one relished both by the young ball players and their families.

Pat Moerson, head coach of the Warriors, said like most of the parents, he’ll be seeing the Hall of Fame for the first time. He’ll be joined by his son, Eric, who plays for the team.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Moerson said. “And I’m happy these kids will get to learn more about historic players, guys like Jackie Robinson. They get to go there and see him and see his records, and read about him breaking the color barrier. It makes everything more real to them.”

The team is coached by Moerson, Tom Radke, Tim Tyrrell, Barry Lefkovitch and Greg Bielman.

Players are: Colin Bielman, Brian Blaser, Chris Breen, Jack Capri, Trevor Gretzky, Josh Lefkovitch, Eric Moersen, Travis Radke, Pat Scara, Nelson Spruce, Matt Sullivan and Timmy Tyrrell.