Alisha Yocum
Our local community is known for its love of baseball, and 12 local players will get to take that love of the game to Cooperstown Dream Park in New York this August.
Jeff Potter of Potter Baseball, an organization based out of Odenton, Maryland, has taken over 200 players to Cooperstown to play in the week-long tournament since 2009. During this tournament, teams of 12-year-olds from all over the country come to experience what people call “the greatest tournament in America,” which started back in 1996. Cooperstown, New York, is also home to Doubleday Field, where the game of baseball began back in 1839, as well as the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Potter receives two “berths” each year, which allows him to select two teams to play in the summer tournament. In 2024, Potter has selected a group of young men from the Catoctin community to receive one of his “berths” and will play as the Potter’s Pirates. For the past year, families of the baseball players have been fundraising to cover the costs associated with playing in the tournament, which nears $30,000. The 2024 Cooperstown team includes Camden Atkinson; Desean Brown; James Clements; Kaiden Dewees; Daniel Geneman; Parker Hahn; Holden Holmes; Evan Laird; Wesley Meekins; Weston Tyler; Jeremy Veronie; Eli Yocum; and coaches, Nathan Laird, Justus Yocum, Chad Hahn, Jimmie Holmes, and John Veronie.
Potter said he has sent two teams from the Catoctin area in the past, and it was a great success. He is looking forward to a long relationship with the town of Thurmont and surrounding areas.
The Potter Pirates would like to thank the community and the local businesses for their support to help make this dream a reality, and they can’t wait to make everyone proud when they take the field in Cooperstown this summer.
Local players will represent the Catoctin community, playing for the Potter’s Pirates in Cooperstown, New York.
Photo Courtesy of Nicole Tyler
