Some studies show youth baseball participation is up. Others say the opposite, but there’s a real-life example in Belmont of a new wave of diamond stars.
For the first time in recent memory, Belmont fielded a team in the 8U division of the Cal Ripken Tournament. Held last weekend, the group of 11 8-year-old boys competed in the district tournament against local rivals Winchester, Arlington, and Burlington.
“The whole baseball community has been extremely excited,” coach Brian Pacheco said. “It’s just been special. They’ve never been able to do it.”
According to the 2023 Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s (SFIA) Topline Participation Report, nearly 16.7 million people, a record, played baseball nationwide. It peaked among boys ages 6 to 12.
However, according to the Sports & Society at the Aspen Institute’s Project Play dashboard, participation in that age group was down 19.3% in 2024 compared to 2019. Sports & Society also registered a similar decline among high school-aged athletes.
Nonetheless, this group of Belmont youngsters is thriving.
Pacheco’s son, Sam, is a rising third grader at Winn Brook Elementary School. He’s joined on the roster by representatives from all elementary schools in town: Will Hanley, Alex Anderson, Luke Langmaid, Dante Tropeano, Asher Fee, Cal Wiggin, Sebby Deranian, Lennox Latif, Luke Jones and Noah Chang. Bill Jones, Max Latif and Jeff Chang joined Brian Pacheco on the coaching staff.
Alex Anderson, a rising third grader at Butler Elementary School, started playing baseball in the backyard with his brother, Pete, who is two years older. Alex likes playing all positions, especially pitcher and first base.
“There were people at my level that I could actually hit off of,” Anderson said. “In the other sports, I can’t really be with my friends, and in other sports like hockey and basketball not all my friends are there.”
An extension of Belmont Youth Baseball and Softball, the 8-year-olds on the team play in Cal Ripken, which builds off the in-town program.
The team came together after Pacheco, the commissioner for first- and second-graders, and other coaches noticed an influx of talent. They crowdsourced parents on the idea of a competitive travel team, and were met with an overwhelmingly positive response.
Alex’s mother, Christina, watched her older son begin more competitive play and welcomed the idea for Alex.
“It’s an opportunity for the kids that are motivated and really enjoy the sport to play a little more intensely,” Christina said. “There’s just the joy that they have playing with other kids their age that take baseball as seriously as they do.”
Will Hanley, a left-handed pitcher and first baseman, joined the team for a more competitive baseball environment.
“It was hard because the other towns were a little better than us,” Hanley said. “It was fun and I think we did fielding very well.”
Despite losing all three games in the Cal Ripken tournament, the future looks bright for the young group.
“I was very happy to see that the kids weren’t getting discouraged from the bench and still smiling,” said Will Hanley’s mother, Michelle. “They were all still excited to show up the next day.”
“It was eye-opening because these towns have been playing for years, and we put this together in two weeks,” Pacheco said. “Everyone in the community was rallying around us. These kids love baseball. They’re going to grow up playing together. We tried to create this massive team bonding for kids.”
With Belmont’s town league wrapped up, summer baseball is up next. They’re not quite sure what’s next, but there are two leagues — Bay State and Middlesex — that they could participate in depending on player interest. Those leagues include some 9-and-10-year-olds.
“What we’re hoping for is this is the catalyst for a group of kids who will play together for years,” Pacheco said.