The Belleville Bombers 13U baseball team recently celebrated its first championship win at the FAAST Pink Classic on May 12 at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti.
The Bombers competed Saturday, May 11, against the Michigan Brewers (11-2) and Top Tier Nationals (9-6). On Sunday, May 12, they played the Great Lakes Renegades (6-0) and went on to secure the championship win over the Canton Cardinals (9-1).
The team roster is: Tyler Adams, Aaron Barr, Colt Gilbee, Reid Johnson, Zach Johnson, Alan Morgret, Jayden Nardi, Wyatt Porzondek, David Shall, Colton Sancho, Owen Underwood, Schuyler Williams, and Robert Young.
Head coach is Bradley Porzondek and assistant coaches are John Gilbee, Jeremy Jamnick, and Shawn Johnson.
The 2024 season marks the team’s third year competing in local tournament baseball and securing the win on Mother’s Day made it even sweeter. The team, established in 2022, is comprised of baseball athletes local to the Belleville community.
Following the 2021 Little League regular season, the Van Buren Area Little League (VBALL) drafted a 10U and 11U All Star team to compete in the 2021 Michigan District 19 playoffs in June. It had been the first time in many years that VBALL had been able to field any team capable of competing at the annual event, let alone two teams.
Neither team made it far into the playoffs, but the 10U and 11U All Star coaches recognized the potential the players had, and floated the idea of creating a local tournament baseball club that would develop players to compete again in 2022 and beyond.
Those coaches would go on to create two local tournament clubs for the 2022 season: The 11U Belleville Bombers and the 10U Lake Dawgs. Through fundraising and the support of the local Belleville community, those clubs continue to compete today in 2024.
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