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Boardman boy named to national baseball program
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The Coast to Coast Baseball Program selected Alex Schlosser of Youngstown to play in Puerto Rico for a week next summer.
YOUNGSTOWN
A local baseball player is headed to Puerto Rico next summer.
Alex Schlosser, 12, of Youngstown was one of 250 baseball players ages 11 to 18 chosen this summer through a program called Coast to Coast Baseball.
“I was very happy and I couldn’t believe it,” Schlosser said. “I almost thought that I wouldn’t be going.”
Coast to Coast Baseball holds 50 tryout events each year in 35 states looking for young athletes with the potential to play at the college level and beyond. Once selected, they have the option to travel to Puerto Rico and other countries while they receive expert coaching.
“It’s a fairly select program,” said Coast to Coast Baseball President Kevin Ritter. “Players are typically standouts in their program.”
Schlosser attended a tryout at Kent State University in July and learned of his acceptance a week later.
Next year, Schlosser will play against Puerto Rican teams for one week. Ritter said the boys will play between seven and 10 games during that time.
Schlosser, who attends St. Christine School and flew for the first time this summer, said he’s excited about the trip.
“We’ll be seeing some historical sites there and going to the beach and stuff,” Schlosser said. “We’ll practice in the morning and play at night.”
Schlosser’s mother, Mary, said the family fantasizes that he’ll play for the Cleveland Indians one day.
“I tell him ‘Don’t be disappointed if they don’t draft you, someone else might want you,’ ” she said.
Schlosser played for Roth Baseball in the Stark-Summit league. He works with a former minor league player at a sports training facility in Boardman and has been playing the sport since he was about 5.
“It’s just a sport that my dad taught me when I was young and I just stuck with that sport,” Schlosser said.
The Schlosser family is accepting donations for the trip, which Ritter said will cost $2,495. Call 330-792-0263 to contribute.
Tryout dates for Coast to Coast Baseball can be found on their website, www.coasttocoastathletics.com.