2025 Play Ball Gresham baseball/softball clinic offers local kids summer fun
Published 5:00 am Thursday, June 26, 2025
Children swarmed an East Multnomah County park for an afternoon outing all about sports fundamentals and smiles.
They snagged tricky pop-ups in the outfield. Showed off their deft footwork with shuffles, back pedals, and bear crawls. Dove after grounders and tossed it to a friend on base. Slung fiery pitches that left volunteers ducking. Barreled home runs in front of cheering loved ones.
All of it was part of Gresham’s Play Ball 2025 baseball/softball clinic. The annual outing is open to youths ages 5-14. The free clinic was held on Wednesday afternoon, June 25, at Pat Pfeifer Park, located at 140 N.E. 176th Ave.
The event is supported by Friends of Baseball and Seattle Mariners ON BASE.
“This is about being loud and having as much fun as possible,” said Forrest Snow, a former Mariners player and member of the training center.
Gresham Mayor Travis Stovall opened the proceedings by welcoming the children.
“I am your mayor. Did you vote for me?” he asked.
“No,” was the laughing reply from the kids.
Rounding the bases
Play Ball is designed for participants of all skill levels. Beginners are more than welcome, with many of the activity stations based on the basics of the sport — throwing, catching and hitting.
“Getting outside and playing in the grass, nothing beats that,” Snow said.
But all that is secondary to the main goal — having fun. Plus the giveaways, which included:
- Play Ball t-shirt
- Ballpark lunch
- Play Ball baseball/softball kit, including a bat and ball
- Seattle Mariners swag
The event has no shortage of volunteers. There are the youth coaches from Friends of Baseball/Softball, who have the most interactions with the kids. They teach fundamentals, crack jokes, offer support, hold hands in search of parents, and do all the other little things that make the outing such a special occasion.
There is also a strong contingent from every department at City Hall. In addition to Mayor Stovall, Gresham Council President Jerry Hinton, City Manager Eric Schmidt, Rep. Ricki Ruiz, and many others threw balls, helped with check-in, and grilled hot dogs.
“Thank you to all the people who make today possible,” Stovall said. “This keeps growing bigger every year.”
