⚾⚾⚾ UPDATE (July 23rd): WE'RE GOING TO THE CAL RIPKEN WORLD SERIES! ⚾⚾⚾

Well...this got interesting.

When we started this fundraiser, we were trying to help send our Peachtree All-Stars to the Southeast Regional Tournament. Thanks to your incredible generosity, we made it there.

Mission accomplished...or so we thought.

Turns out these kids had other plans.

They spent the last few weeks playing outstanding baseball against some of the best teams in the Southeast. They competed hard, played the game the right way, and represented our community with the kind of grit, class, and sportsmanship that makes you proud to wear "Peachtree" across your chest.

Now, full disclosure—we did have one inning we'd all like to have back. (We're pretty sure our pitchers would prefer we never mention it again.)

That one inning knocked us out in the semifinals, and we finished an incredibly respectable third place.

Normally, that's where the story ends.

Except...it didn't.

Shortly after the tournament, we received an unbelievable phone call.

We've been awarded an at-large bid to the Cal Ripken World Series.

Apparently someone else thought what we've been thinking all summer: THIS TEAM BELONGS.

And honestly...who are we to let one bad inning stand in the way of baseball destiny?

The only problem is that none of us budgeted for a trip to the World Series.

We asked for your help getting to Regionals because that's where we thought this journey would end. Instead, these boys just kept writing another chapter.

So we're asking—one last time—for your help.

If you donated before, THANK YOU. You helped create this opportunity. We genuinely couldn't have gotten here without you. If you're able to chip in again, we'd be incredibly grateful.

If this is your first time seeing our fundraiser, we'd love to have you join the team.

Every dollar goes toward helping these boys and their families make this once-in-a-lifetime trip and represent Peachtree, Albemarle County, and Virginia on baseball's biggest stage.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for believing in these kids.

Now let's go see what kind of trouble they can cause at the World Series.

*** New Goal: Send Peachtree to the Cal Ripken World Series ***

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.