Following a successful first year in 2021 the Wiffle in the Grove wiffleball tournament at Pleasant Grove Park is back this Sunday, hoping for even more fun while also benefiting Apollo baseball.
Jeff Johnson created the wiffleball tournament last year, looking for a way to fundraise for the Eagles baseball team while giving people a chance for some fun and fellowship.
“We were trying to come up with a fun, unique way to raise some money for the Apollo Baseball program,” Johnson said. “We thought what better way to do it than play a game that everyone has probably played at some point in their life.”
There are multiple divisions depending on how competitive teams want to be, with 12 teams in total registered this year. Most of the 12 teams registered this year are in the middle school and high school divisions, doubling their numbers for last year.
Johnson went on to say while the deadline may have passed, there’s still time to get a team in if anyone wants to—especially in the Co-Ed division where they could use some teams.
“We have Divisions in High School, Co-Ed and Open division,” Johnson said. “Everyone is guaranteed three games and possibly more. You can be as competitive as you want to be. It’s truly a lot of fun and everyone walks away with stories and maybe even reminiscing about their childhood glory days.”
Johnson had a blast at last year’s tournament, as the nostalgia of wiffleball and the competitive nature of all the teams made it a memorable event that he hopes takes another step forward in 2022.
“Seeing everyone have fun [was awesome],” Johnson said. “The high school teams are of course extremely competitive and that’s always fun. The adult and Co-Ed teams also had a blast. It takes you back to your childhood in a way.”
The tournament was initially scheduled for Saturday, but it was moved to Sunday with a start time of 1 p.m. because of possible weather. Johnson is excited to see what this year’s tournament has in store and is thankful for all of those involved that help make a fun weekend that helps Apollo baseball possible.
“Our Coaching staff and Baseball parents have really pitched in to help make this a success,” Johnson said. “A lot of thanks goes to them and to Pleasant Grove for allowing us to use the fields.”
