The Boston Slammers, an all-girls baseball travel team made up of girls from across Boston neighborhoods, put up a strong showing at the recent Baseball for All (BFA) National Girls Baseball Tournament in Illinois.
First row: Celia Collins, Stella Kotter, Amira Hondras. Second row: Coach Harry Smith, Maggie Foxx, Angie Valenzuela, Sophia Buzzelle, Ellie Etemad-Gilbertson, Elise Berger, Alyssa Slamin, Head Coach Rick Slamin, Riley Keblin, Coach Kate Lavelle.
Held Aug. 1-4, winning the 13 and Under Championship and placing 3rd and 4th in other age groups. The Slammers sent four teams to the BFA Championships, giving more than 40 girls ages 9-18 the chance to compete against girls teams from across the U.S. and Canada.
The Baseball for All Tournament is the largest girls baseball tournament in U.S. history, serving more than 200 girls in different age groups. Baseball for All is a national organization that supports girls in playing baseball at the youth, high school and college levels.
All four Slammers teams made it to the gold medal bracket, with teams taking home a gold, a bronze, and two 4th place finishes. In the 13U division, the Slammers entered two teams with the Red team going undefeated and winning the championship and the Blue team making it to the semifinals and finishing in 4th place. The 18U team took the bronze medal and the 11U team finished 4th. The 13U Red team went undefeated en route to winning the championship with wins over teams from Chicago, Toronto, and San Francisco before defeating the East Bay Oaks 4-2 in the championship game.
The Slammers include girls ages 9-18 from Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, Hyde Park, Roxbury, South End, and surrounding areas. During the spring season, the girls played in the co-ed baseball divisions of the Jamaica Plain Regan Youth League and other leagues around the Boston area. They have come together over the past four years in special practices, clinics, and scrimmages to strengthen their skills and play the sport they love. The city's Boston Center for Youth and Families provided critical support, including funding and indoor practice spaces during the winter.
“I am proud of all the girls who worked so hard to make a strong showing at the tournament," said Boston Slammers President and Head Coach Rick Slamin. "The girls were able to meet baseball players from around the country and show them what Boston can do. We’re proud of the results and looking forward to continuing to expand our program to provide opportunities for more girls to play baseball.”
The Boston Slammers grew out of a collaboration with the Jamaica Plain Regan Youth League, a 50-year old independent youth baseball and softball league that serves more than 700 local boys and girls ages 5-18. Most of the youth who participate in the Regan League are from Jamaica Plain and Roxbury, with significant representation from the surrounding neighborhoods of Roslindale and Mission Hill.