Annual baseball fundraiser on deck

By Cal Braid
Vauxhall Advance
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Vauxhall Academy of Baseball (VAB) is hosting its 18th annual Jets Homerun Ball on March 2 at the Community Hall. 

The event is an evening of dinner, awards, a silent auction and 50/50 draw to celebrate and support the Academy. The guest speaker will be Andrew Albers, who spent five years as a Major League Baseball pitcher with the Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners. He spent three years playing in Japan, one in Korea, and was a member of Team Canada for seven years. He also made three appearances in the World Baseball Classic. Albers is a North Battleford native and last fall became the pitching coach for the Saskatoon Berries, the newest expansion franchise in the Western Canadian Baseball League.

Lindsay Stober works for the VAB and is organizing the event. She said a roast beef dinner will follow cocktails and about 100 items will be open for bids in the silent auction. Bats signed by Joey Votto, Bo Bichette and Freddie Freeman will be up for grabs. 

“We have homemade blankets and quilts, Yetis, there’s an Okanagan trip…there’s quite an arrangement,” Stober said.

It’s her first year doing the event and said it’s been well attended in the past. 

“We typically get around the 200 people mark.” Reservations go for $60 a plate or $450 a table.

The VBA continues to draw players from far and wide. 

“We actually have players from across Canada and we’ve even had some from Bermuda and other countries,” Stober said. “The boys leave at the end of March for Vegas for two weeks. They’re doing a couple of tournaments down there.”

For tickets to the Jets Homerun Ball, contact Lindsay at 403-654-2145 or email lindsay.stober@horizon.ab.ca

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