Take Your Family Out to the Ballgame ... WIth the Help of the Montclair Baseball and Softball Club

Summer and baseball go together like a hand and a baseball glove. If your family longs to get more involved in this fantastic sport, check out the offerings from the Montclair Baseball and Softball Club, a nonprofit organization that organizes t-ball, coach pitch, travel baseball and softball, and the baseball teams at the three middle schools.

The club launched an informative new Web site this year so that all things baseball are at your fingertips.

The club is hoping "to help families interested in baseball find the Web site to register for the many different clinics and teams," said Jacqueline Jacobson, a volunteer with the club.

One of the club's teams, the U13 Montclair Bulldogs, recently captured the Spring Cerbo Elite Championship, displaying their typical brand of solid defense as they defeated Blue Chip of East Hanover 8 to 3. Also helping was a stellar pitching performance from Michael Hall, who carried a perfect game into the fifth inning before surrendering a run.

The win marks the seventh championship trophy in the last six years for this group (spring and summer leagues). The U13 Bulldogs, most of which have been together since U8, have also notched three second-place showings in that same time period. The team is currently 5-0 in summer league play and hopefully will go for title number eight later this summer.

Founded in 1997, the Montclair Baseball and Softball Club is a non-profit organization which each year provides Montclair youth with quality instruction and the opportunity to develop into young ballplayers. It is the Club's philosophy that a sports program, while being fun, should also impart important life lessons and help promote the development of good character. It encourages the development of the skills and confidence of all of the players, while continuing to promote an understanding and acceptance of a team concept. 

No child is denied the opportunity to participate due to an inability to pay and each year the Club provides either partial or total scholarship to families in need. The Club is run through a largely volunteer effort and relies on the generosity of donors to help subsidize expenses.