Local baseball youth and families will lose two reasons to cheer this summer thanks to the health emergency.
Both the BIB Tournament and Bronco-11 World Series have been cancelled citing the safety of athletes, their families and the community.
The Colonial Heights Optimist Club announced the BIB cancellation on Facebook:
“It is with much regret and sadness that we announce the cancellation of our 63rd Annual Boys Invitational Baseball Tournament. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cancellation of rec baseball, and restrictions placed upon us we are unable to hold the tournament in 2020.”
The BIB tournament has been a summer staple in Colonial Heights, showcasing Virginia’s top baseball talent in the 11- and 12-year old age groups for over 60 years.
The Pony baseball organization made the cancelation of their tournament known through a press release:
“With an overabundance of caution and in order to ensure that our athletes from all over the world are able to compete in a safe environment, we have had to make this very difficult decision to cancel our World Series events in 2020,” stated PONY President Abraham Key. “PONY stands for Protect Our Nation’s Youth, and PONY believes [it]would be reckless and irresponsible to host these events under the current circumstances. We will be back in 2021 with a full schedule of league play, tournament play, and our popular World Series events.”
With the announcement, Pony Baseball cancelled its summer tournaments worldwide, including all of those that feed into the Bronco-11 World Series, held annually at Iron Bridge Park in Chester.
Teams from the Chester, Matoaca, and Chesterfield area have flourished in these tournaments recently and historically. Last summer, Ettrick took home the BIB crown. From 2011 to 2015, Chesterfield Baseball Clubs, or CBC, reeled off five straight titles.
Before Ettrick’s 2019 BIB win, Williamsburg won two titles in 2016 and 2018, sandwiching a Colonial Heights victory in 2017.
CBC, which fields an All-Star team each year in the Bronco-11 World Series, won the tournament in back-to-back years in 2013 and 2014. Last year, they finished eighth in what was a down season.
According to John Hopkins University, Virginia has reported over 61,247 cases of COVID-19, with 1,724 deaths.
Some rec league baseball will be played in Chesterfield, but the amount of baseball being played county-wide has been significantly reduced, if not almost eliminated.
“Safety is of the utmost importance,” said CBC coach Randy Womack. “While this tournament is an exciting and memorable moment for these kids, in the end it’s just a game. And the safety and well-being of these kids is the most important thing.”
