Hello, upstanding businesses and fellow model Americans! We come to you with our infield-dirt-stained hands out, asking for a small piece of your hard-earned profits and wages. But first, a story – nay, a character study in resilience and excellence! – about a plucky group of young men from small town Crozet, VA who are finding out that hard work really does pay off.

They’re just a bunch of 11-year-old boys who love baseball and hate running wind sprints. They didn’t sign up for a 112° heatwave (actual heat index). They didn’t ask to play games until midnight (not in any way an exaggeration). They didn’t plan for 60mph winds and game delays due to nearby fireworks-related mishaps (all fingers still intact as of this writing). But that’s what they got.

These proficient pre-teens turned those late nights, brutal conditions, and unscripted setbacks into a 21-0 record and a state championship for their 11U Peachtree All-Star Baseball team. Was it a close call, as Hollywood scripts would have us believe? Nope. Not really. They outscored their opponents 104 to 5 at the State tournament. But that’s what happens when you put in the work, practicing every day for five weeks and ending every session with a healthy dose of (ignore the heavy grumbling) strength and conditioning.

Now, this newly galvanized group of go-getters is leaving the friendly confines of central VA for the crucible of Lawrenceburg, TN, site of the 2026 Babe Ruth Regional Tournament.

Is Lawrenceburg convenient and accessible for the working parents of these masterful young men? Absolutely not. It’s 10 hours away.

But the tournament is at least, short, right? It’s not one of those “play for the rest of your natural lives” type gigs, correct? Also no! They’ll play for a minimum of five days, and they’ll like it!

So, sure, the parents have to take time off from work, pay for gas, pay for food, pay tournament fees, pay for like five nights in hotels, somehow entertain their player’s feral younger siblings and all that, but this is what they signed up for as baseball parents. They knew what they were getting into, right?

Says one mom who asked to remain anonymous, “I just didn’t want him in front of a screen all Summer. I didn’t know I’d need to take out a second mortgage. They just keep winning.”

OK, ENOUGH WITH THE NARRATIVE. WHAT DO YOU ACTUALLY WANT?

Right. You’re right. That went on long enough.

Peachtree needs help! The newly minted State champion 11U All-Star Team is seeking donations to offset the extensive cost of the Regional Tournament, and every dollar is meaningful. The Peachtree roster comprises families of varying economic ability to participate in this experience, and your donations will empower these young men to continue the baseball journey that their hard work has unlocked! Also, should this make a difference for you or your business, we are happy to provide a letter for tax/charitable contribution purposes.

Now it’s time to send it home with an inspirational quote from one of our key players, Mr. Braxton S.

Interviewer: “Braxton, you just won a State championship. What was your favorite part?”

Braxton: “Anytime coach wasn’t making us run.”

Indeed, Braxton. Indeed.