Posted by: thepinetree on 06/10/2010 11:06 AM
Updated by: thepinetree on 06/10/2010 11:09 AM
Expires: 01/01/2015 12:00 AM
:
Local Boy places 2nd at MLB Pitch~by Charity Maness
Local Boy places 2nd at MLB Pitch, Hit & Run competition at the Oakland Coliseum
Twelve year old Tyler Tafjen, a Copperopolis resident and Mark Twain student, has been playing baseball since the age of five. When the opportunity arose to compete in the first ever Calaveras American Little League Local pitch, hit and run competition he thought it would be a lot of fun. To his joy, in his age division 11-12, he placed first in running, tied for 1st in pitching and won 2nd overall. He scored well enough at this local level competition to head off to the Sectional Level competition held in Modesto to compete against Little Leaguers from as far away as Pittsburg, Antioch and more far reaching towns.....
On May 23, 2010, the Sectional competition was held at Modesto Christian High School in Modesto. The competition was tough, but Tyler Tafjen faired very well placing 1st overall, qualifying him to head off to the Team Championships held at the Oakland Coliseum on June 6, 2010. If this is beginning to sound like a whirlwind of baseball activity, you would be thinking along the same lines as his mother Karen Tafjen. She stated, “I was overwhelmed” referring to how far reaching the PHR competition was.
Tyler and his dad, firefighter/engineer Don Tafjen, loaded up the car and headed off to the Oakland Coliseum not certain what was in store for them. They had read their packet of information; had done some research on the internet but still were jittery with nerves upon arrival. Once they got to Oakland, at a very cold 7:30 am Tyler found himself up against 23 other 1st place winners in his age division. Within a few hours the scores for each event and age group were tallied and Tyler was awarded 2nd place overall. The first place of each division, approximately 90 kids, will go on to compete in the National Finals in Angels Stadium, Anaheim, California. So correct me if I am wrong, but when doing the math, there would be 90 1st place and 90 2nd place players. Which would place Tyler among the top 180 11-12 year old ball players in the United States. Well done Tyler.
This year, through much effort by C.A.L.L. President Rich Bakke, Calaveras American Little League hosted its first MLB pitch, hit and run skills competition. For those of you that are not familiar with PHR competitions it is exactly as it sounds. It is a one day skills competition that emphasizes the fun element of baseball, where boys and girls from ages 7 to 14 showcase their pitching, hitting, and running abilities.
There are four levels of PHR competition. Local: Calaveras American Little League. Sectional: The winners from several local events feed into one Sectional competition that represents a specific geographic area. Team championship: This level of competition is held for the winners of the sectional at thirty Major League Baseball parks. National Finals: final level concludes at the All Star Game to be held in Angels Stadium in Anaheim California.
For more information regarding MLB PHR competitions visit their website at www.littleleague.org.
|
