Little Leaguer Remembered As Tourney Begins In Pleasanton

PLEASANTON, CA — Pleasanton Little League is remembering one of its own as the First Annual Dillon Patrick Memorial Tournament gets set to begin Friday. The event is being held in honor of Dillon Patrick O’Leary, a Pleasanton Little Leaguer who died in 2016 after battling a rare form of cancer. He was just 12 years old.

On May 6, 2015, Dillon was excited about game day. He was going to pitch for his Little League team—the Phillies—at Bernal Park. On most occasions, Dillon would be the catching, so a spot on the mound was a big deal. But that day he began to feel very sick. His dad carried him off the field and he was rushed to a hospital, where he spent the next months of his life fighting to get better. Tests confirmed Dillon suffered from Ependymoma tumors throughout his back and brain.

The Pleasanton community rallied for the Sunol Glen Elementary School student and his family through multiple fundraising events. In late 2015, police officers, firefighters, family and friends from school cheered for him as he arrived home from the hospital just in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family. Sadly, however, Dillon lost his battle with cancer. He passed away on November 20, 2016.

Although Dillon is gone, his memory will be very alive on Pleasanton baseball fields: The First Annual Dillon Patrick Memorial Tournament—for 11 and under, and 12 and under—runs through July 3. All games are being held at Sports Park, except for the final championships that are being held are Bernal Park.