Benjamin Ortman, affectionately known as “Benny” by his coaches, will have a chance to take his baseball skills a step further after his recent acceptance to the Fall Ball Travel Team in Saskatoon.
“I was really excited when I heard that I made the team,” said Ortman in a recent interview. “I look forward to making friends and meeting new people at the games.”
This upbeat attitude is what gave Ortman his initial love of baseball. “I love going to the field with my family, we throw the ball around and just have fun together; stuff like that makes me happy.”
“Ben really does love baseball,” added Ortman’s mother, Christie Ortman. “He was a batboy for the Kindersley Raiders during their season, and he has been voluntarily practicing every day; he always pushes to do his best.”
Ortman’s hard work this season helped the Kindersley Peewee Provincial Team take gold at the provincial tournaments earlier this year. Ortman wasn’t ready to give up baseball just yet, so he decided to try out for the 2017 Fall Ball Travel Team hosted by the Going Yard Baseball Warehouse in Saskatoon.
This program is aimed to extend the playing season by giving at least four hours of instructional practices per week, as well as a weekend game schedule. The four-day tryouts were held last week, and by the end of the third day, Ortman was accepted as a part of the 2017 Team.
Ortman doesn’t have all of the schedule details yet, but the team will travel to larger cities in Western Canada, such as Regina and Winnipeg, before making their way down to Phoenix, Arizona for the final tournament on the November long weekend.
Ortman plans to fund part of his trip by taking odd jobs around Kindersley. So far the youth has mowed lawns, walked dogs, and picked apples to tuck away the needed funds. “We strongly believe in teaching our kids to invest in what is important to them,” Christie Ortman added that the community support in Benjamin’s venture has been overwhelming. “I posted a small ad on Facebook, and we’ve been getting calls and offers of work from members in the community—the feedback has been amazing!”
Ortman plans to continue working, both on the field and off of it in order to make his dream come true. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors!
Image Source: Christie Ortman
For the latest information and for more updates on everything Kindersley, ‘Like’ our Facebook page below…
