The Knothole Foundation is thrilled to host a special three-day event — Westside Story — at the Richard “Stick” Williams Dream Fields and Education Center next week in West Charlotte (April 14-16) during spring break.
Westside Story is a multi-day camp and tournament that combines baseball and softball skill development with education and life skills programming.
MONDAY, APRIL 14: Beginning on Monday, April 14 at 9:00 AM, and running through Wednesday, April 16, the fields will host high school baseball and softball camps, clinics and games with teams from the West Charlotte area.
In all, six local high schools will compete in the baseball tournament and four local high schools will compete in the softball tournament.
HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS COMPETING IN OUR WESTSIDE STORY TOURNAMENT (April 14-15)
Baseball (6): West Mecklenburg High School, Rocky River High School, Julius L. Chambers High School, Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology, Garinger High School and Jackson Day School.
Softball (4): West Charlotte High School, Julius Chambers High School, West Mecklenburg High School and Garinger High School.
TUESDAY, APRIL 15: April 15 is Jackie Robinson Day throughout Major League Baseball and the Knothole Foundation will host former Negro Leagues player, Wali Cathcart, as well as Negro Leagues historians and much more. Additionally, Ashleigh Gilliam, local filmmaker, will be on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Tuesday’s softball game. Gilliam’s film, Toni. Mamie. Connie. centered around three African-American women baseball players in the 1950s (Toni Stone, Mamie Johnson, and Connie Morgan). The Knothole Foundation will also honor the memory of former Negro Leagues player, Eddie G.G. Burton.
The softball game will take place at 5:30 PM on Tuesday, April 15, while the championship baseball game will take place at 6:00 PM that same day (April 15). Also on that day, The Knothole Foundation will hold a special dedication to Jackie Robinson and place an outfield wall banner with Robinson’s #42 on it to be permanently displayed on field at the Richard “Stick” Williams Dream Fields and Education Center.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16: On Wednesday, April 16, the Knothole Foundation will host a free youth baseball clinic beginning at 10:00 AM for kids 5-12 years old.
Sign-ups for Wednesday’s free baseball clinic are open now: https://bit.ly/KnotholeBaseballClinic416
