MORGANTOWN — MVB Bank Executive Vice President Don Robinson asked the Monongalia County Commission to provide $6,000 for the second Mon County Baseball Classic.
The event, slated for April 26-27, serves as a showcase for high school baseball in West Virginia and gives student athletes an opportunity to play at Monongalia County Ballpark, the home of WVU Baseball and the West Virginia Blackbears.
This time around the classic will feature five games over two days, including: University vs. George Washington and Morgantown vs. Ripley on the 26th; and Trinity vs. Parkersburg Catholic, Spring Valley vs. Bridgeport and Moorefield vs. Notre Dame on the 27th.
Another change for the 2019 edition is a partnership with SteppingStones, a local nonprofit focused on providing recreation for children and adults with disabilities.
“We’ll have five high school games, and in between we’ll have the Miracle Field athletes play a couple exhibition innings,” Robinson said, referencing a specially designed baseball diamond created by SteppingStones. “If you’ve ever participated in a SteppingStones game, it’s an unbelievable experience. The student athletes will participate in that as well.”
Each team will play three games while in Morgantown, one of which will be in Monongalia County Ballpark. Robinson said he hopes to expand the event into a weekend tournament ahead of next year.
As with last year, announcing duties will be handled by longtime Pittsburgh Pirates broadcaster Lanny Frattare. The games will once again be streamed live by MetroNews.
Robinson said there will be no charge for admission, but a donation to SteppingStones is encouraged.
The cost of the event is estimated to be about $16,200.
The commission, which provided $5,500 for last year’s inaugural classic, will take up the request next week.
In other county news, the commission:
— Approved a maintenance and support agreement with Idemia Identity & Security USA for $4,582.
The agreement ends Jan. 25, 2020 and provides support for the fingerprint scanner in the Monongalia County Justice Center.
— Approved a letter requesting use of the domain monongaliawv.gov for the county’s website, which is currently located at co.monongalia.wv.us.
— Will assist with efforts being undertaken by WVU Medicine and the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust to turn the former Ramada Inn on Scott Avenue into a central hub for homeless services and other social services.
Commission President Tom Bloom will lead the commission’s efforts on this issue.
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