Collegiate baseball team seeking city’s support

League games also a boon to local economy, officials say

Weaver spoke before the council in hopes of spreading the word about the team, which will play its home opener against the Bethesda Big Train on June 10 at Shipley Field, University of Maryland.

The team has been around for nearly 20 years, but changed its name from the Maryland Bombers two years ago to more closely identify itself with College Park.

‘‘It comes back to improving the quality of life for the people in College Park,” Weaver said at the April 24 council meeting.

Weaver and Bombers President Steve Kemp donated tickets to Peggy Higgins, director of the city’s Youth and Family Services department, for distribution to children in the Lakeland STARS program. The Lakeland STARS is an academic enrichment program serving 56 children in first through sixth grades at Paint Branch Elementary School in College Park.

The tickets, good for any game, will provide pupils and their families the chance to watch and enjoy Bombers players in action, Higgins said.

‘‘Some of these kids have a real focus and interest in baseball. It’s an opportunity to see some players who are pretty good,” Higgins said. ‘‘I love baseball. It’s my favorite sport. I’m thrilled to hear it’s in town.”

The team has always been competitive in the Cal Ripken Sr. league, which started in 2005.

The Bombers has 30 players between 19 and 21 years old, most of them college students from around the country. Ten of them are from local communities. The Cal Ripken Sr. club serves as a training ground for college students aspiring to play in the minor or major leagues, Weaver said.

Gene Bovello, owner of the College Park Bombers for the past 18 years, said the team has always been in the top 10 since the league started.

‘‘I think we have an outstanding chance of winning the whole thing, but we won’t be any worse than third if we don’t win,” said Bovello, who is in his 57th year as a coach. ‘‘I have a strong coaching staff. We have seven returning pitchers from last year and 15 position players, 12 of them having batting averages of over .360.”

Takoma Park City Councilman Bruce Williams, a board member and treasurer of the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts team, said a united effort between the city and the team could be a win-win situation because of the economic boon it provides.

He said that since the team’s formation in 1999, the Takoma Park City Council has improved municipal and Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission fields and has provided summer activities for youth. The team’s $75-a-person season ticket prices are an affordable purchase for families, he said, adding the team also gives away free tickets.

‘‘You could conceivably go to every home game and bring the whole family,” Williams said.

Because league players — who hail from across the country — room with local families to save money, they form friendships and serve as role models for children, he said.

College Park Mayor Stephen A. Brayman will throw out the first pitch in the Bombers’ home opener.

Brayman also will participate in a bet of lunch with a yet-to-be-determined state official who represents Bethesda. The lunch bet was not Brayman’s first choice, he said.

‘‘I suggested we’d want zoning authority, but that probably won’t go over well,” he said.

E-mail Jennifer Donatelli at jdonatelli@gazette.net.