Alumni game brings ball players together, honors former volunteer


May 29, 2012 · Updated 1:33 PM 

Vashon baseball enthusiasts are hoping for a large showing at the second annual Jim Martin  Memorial Alumni Baseball game on Sunday.

Steve Hall, coach of the Vashon High School baseball team, said that for years Vashon coaches and players thought of holding a yearly alumni game, but it never panned out. After Martin, a dedicated and beloved baseball volunteer, died in January last year, they thought it would be an appropriate way to honor him and held the first alumni game last spring.

This year the game is being held later in the year, a move organizers hope will bring even more people to the event, rain or shine.

Hall said Martin was a volunteer who gave above and beyond, contributing both financially and physically as a youth baseball volunteer at every age level. The high school baseball field was also named after Martin last spring.

“He was an incredible man. … I call him the dean of Vashon baseball,” Hall said.

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the VHS field, with the first game being held at 11 a.m. A second game may follow, and there will also be a home run derby and a barbecue.

Players should RSVP to Rita Allman at 423-2606 or rita55@wavecable.com. The event is a fundraiser for the baseball program, and players will be asked to give a donation.

 

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