Ryan Tokar
On Saturday, May 1, 2021, Thurmont Little League (TLL) held its annual hit-a-thon fundraiser. This is the largest annual fundraiser for the league, and proceeds go towards necessities like field maintenance, uniforms, concession upgrades, and general complex improvements. With TLL celebrating its 70th season of baseball, the community came out in support of the league in a BIG way. This year’s hit-a-thon brought in over $22,000 in online and cash donations, the largest amount raised in league history!
The concept of the hit-a-thon is simple. Players receive one hit for every $10 raised, for a maximum of 10 hits. They can continue to raise additional money above and beyond that in order to win prizes. A bonus hit is also awarded if a player brings a non-perishable food for the Thurmont Food Bank. Prizes are awarded to the top overall fundraisers and also to the players who hit the ball the longest distance. The intermediate, major and minor divisions are judged on where the ball lands, while the instructional and T-ball divisions are given credit for how far the ball rolls.
Distance winners for this year’s hit-a-thon were: Majors—Noah Shankle (218 ft.), Lane Koenig (213 ft.), and Jay Code (207 ft.); Minors—Landon Kelley-Voisine (174 ft.), Austin Vernon (164 ft.), and Jeremy Veronie (153 ft.); Instructional—Ryan May (154 ft.), Levi Baker (152 ft.), and Devin Riffle (148 ft.); T-ball—Mireya Chavez (131 ft.), Garett Troxell (126 ft.), and Logan Otto (125 ft.)
Overall fundraising winners were: Ethan Smith (Minors Yankees) with $1,160, Caleb Valentine (T-ball Hot Rods) with $1,000, and Hunter Byington (Majors Nationals) with $800. They will each be awarded an Amazon gift card for their prize. The teams with the most overall donations earned a free pizza party: T-ball Hotrods with $1,510, Instructional Orioles with $2,165, Minors Yankees with $2,011, and the Majors Orioles with $1,330. Along with the $22,000 raised, the league also collected several hundred non-perishable goods that were donated to the Thurmont Food Bank to help those in need. TLL would like to thank the community, parents, and volunteers for their support. Without you, this event would not have been such a tremendous success.
The spring season is winding down, and we are moving toward end-of-the-season tournaments and All-Star games. Look for more information in next month’s issue!
Courtesy Photo
The three players with the longest hits: Noah Shankle (middle), Lane Koenig (left) and Jay Code (right).
