The Summer Baseball schedule here in Rhode Island has been incredible to be a part of. Mostly because by August, most of Rhode Island baseball youth, amateur, and collegiate baseball is pretty much wrapped up. But not the Summer of 2020, where baseball is thriving through June, July, and now August. And showcase events and big time baseball tournaments scheduled for June and July are now happening (delayed due to Covid-19 restrictions) in August. Life hands you lemons, you hit a lemon out of the ballpark!!!

Enter Firecracker Baseball’s 4th of July Showcase Tournament, now scheduled to begin Wednesday August 19th. The tournament’s title says it all “4th of July,” but due to states not entering safely into reopening sports and participation, the tournament was postponed. Now, here in Rhode Island, we are in Phase 3 of ReOpeningRI, where baseball leagues and teams can participate in games and tournament play. If you haven’t heard of Firecracker Baseball, please check out their website – www.firecrackersports.com – and learn more about why this organization is so incredible for youth sports. Their core values, listed on their website, reads:

“Firecracker Baseball has been around for over a decade serving over 1,000 teams and 12,000 players. We, as former players and coaches who played and coached at the highest levels of the game realize that you have options when it comes to showcase baseball and NOW…we are bringing that to the softball world with Firecracker Sports.  We UNDERSTAND that most of these showcases are expensive and fall short of expectations. At Firecracker Sports, we wanted to offer something different: an opportunity to showcase your players, get college recruiting with numerous schools all while having great value in travel destinations for your families in 1 place! Firecracker Sports events are social showcases that will keep you coming back year after year!

Mark Cooke, Owner & President“

I spoke to Mark Cooke, the Owner and President of Firecracker Sports via email this past week. Mark sent me a full schedule of games that Rhode Island baseball organizations will be featured at. I asked him where the teams would be playing this week. “We are using Cranston West, Cranston Stadium, Sprague and Fay Field next week but that’s about it due to the issues with teams coming into RI right now.” In years passed, teams from all over the Northeast played in stadiums from MA to CT to RI in this 4th of July Showcase. This year, many teams will remain in their own state to play or will only play in a neighboring state that allows travel between states without quarantining. Mark and his team had to make a lot of important scheduling decisions this year.

Playing this August in the Firecracker Baseball 4th of July Showcase Tournament representing RI Baseball organizations are:

• 13U Division – Ocean State Bandits, Ocean State Outlaws, RI Steamers
• 14U Division – Ocean State Makos, New England Scorpions, Ocean State Bandits
• 15U Division – Upper Deck, Ocean State Makos, New England Scorpions
• 16U/17U Division – Bandits Baseball Club, Providence Sports & Leadership, New England Scorpions, Upper Deck Showcase
• 18U/19U Division – Providence Sports & Leadership, Bandits Baseball Club

Here is the schedule of games for the week. Please note, there are no playoffs or championship games for the 2020 Firecracker 4th of July Showcase Tournament. When attending games, please observe safety guidelines, social distance yourself whenever possible, bring a face covering and protect yourself and others where social distancing is a concern. Enjoy the games responsibly and safely to ensure the health and wellness of all the players, coaches, and families.

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