Des Plaines Park District honors champion and role model

Vincent Parcelli has been pitching and playing shortstop on Des Plaines Youth Baseball teams since he was 4 years old. Everything he learned in those past 10 years was on display in the 2015 Major League Baseball Pitch Hit & Run Competition as he moved from the local competition at West Park on April 26, through the sectionals May 27, and on to the Team Championships at Wrigley Field on May 30.

Parcelli, who will be a freshman at Maine West High School this fall, went head to head with all of the other sectional winners in his age bracket from Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, and took home a solid second place win.

On June 16 at the Des Plaines Park District board meeting, Parcelli showed everyone his award, and received a Special Proclamation from park board President Jana Haas, declaring him a "Park District Champion and Role Model."

"We are very proud of Vincent, and are lucky to have a park district that we can be so involved with in such an array of activities all year long," said mom Diann Parcelli. Josh Cantres, athletic supervisor for the park district, said "Vincent is a terrific young athlete who also competes for Des Plaines in the NFL Punt Pass & Kick competition."

"Vincent has been an outstanding representative of the district and Des Plaines Youth Baseball," said Jennifer Boys, assistant superintendent of Recreation, as she introduced him to the board, "and we are so pleased that we can recognize him for his accomplishments."

Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run is a free skills event providing boys and girls, ages 7-14, the opportunity to compete in four levels of competition including team championship events at all 30 Major League ballparks and the national finals at the MLB All-Star Game. The Des Plaines Park District hosts its local event on the ball fields at West Park, and was honored to be selected to host the area's 2015 sectional competition as well.

This year's NFL Punt, Pass & Kick Competition takes place on Sept. 27 on the Prairie Lakes Fields. It's free for all participants ages 6-15.

For more information about the Des Plaines Park District, visit DPParks.org.

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