Chicago team qualifies for Bronco-11 World Series July 26
Chicago, Illinois has qualified for the 2019 Bronco-11 World Series (B11WS) and will represent the PONY North Zone. For the third time and the third consecutive year in a row, Chicago will make the trip to Chesterfield, Virginia.
The Chicago team is comprised mostly of players from the South Side of Chicago, specifically the Englewood and the Auburn-Gresham neighborhoods. In these Chicago neighborhoods, baseball is not only alive and well, but it is also thriving. Specifically, the local Chicago baseball league, the Athletes for Christ Association has seen tremendous growth recently.
Earlier this year, the Chicago Cubs invested approximately $65,000 into Athletes for Christ Association field Dawes Park.
"People are elated," said AFCA President Brandon McNair. "We now have the ability to accommodate all age groups and all experience levels, which we're very proud of. We're already at capacity for this season, but I would expect a 20-25-percent jump in participation next season because of our new facilities. We've got guys telling me 'wow, I saw you guys over the weekend on the news. How can I get my son involved?'"
The growth of the AFCA program has attributed to its recent success in the Bronco-11 World Series.
Regarding the 2019 tournament, McNair stated, "We are excited to be back-to-back world champs and would like to extend this run to three consecutive championships after this season."
However, the rigorous practice and training schedule of the AFCA all-star team also ensures a successful tournament team. The Chicago team has been running hills at the local Forest Preserve for conditioning and practicing at Dawes Park every other day to prepare for the 2019 B11WS. Because of the intense amount of conditioning that the team does, McNair believes that the team's speed is one of their biggest strengths. He also believes that the team has good pitching and hitting, especially in stressful game scenarios.
When asked about the expectation for his team in the 2019 B11WS, McNair stated that he always expects his squad to "compete and show sportsmanship at the absolute highest levels each game." The sportsmanship that his team displays also translates into exciting interactions with the various other teams in the B11WS. In the two previous years that the AFCA program competed in the B11WS, McNair described his players trading jerseys and hats with teams from Aruba, Mexico, China, California, and Florida. McNair loves to see his players bonding with children from all corners of the world through the game of baseball.
Chicago will take on San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic in its first game at the 2019 B11WS at 8 p.m. Friday, July 26 at Harry G. Daniel Park at Iron Bridge.
Chicago will seek to win its third consecutive B11WS title.