VSU Team Helps Richmond Schools Launch Baseball League

NJG Newswire
RICHMOND

The Richmond Public Schools (RPS) plans to launch its inaugural elementary school baseball league with eight schools participating in the program next spring. While most sports fans are gearing up for football, Dr. Stefanie Ramsey, RPS Coordinator, K-12 Athletics & Activities, is designing an RPS elementary baseball program for the spring of 2026.

Ramsey, who is the architect of this initiative, said, “We are going to introduce our baseball program to the kids at the start of the school year. We want to get the kids excited about the new league coming this spring. We also plan to provide the kids with a baseball-related book, as we always stress academics along with athletics.”

Dr. Ramsey has teamed up with the revitalized SOLE program – Sports, Opportunities, Literacy, and Enrichment – to bring a wealth of resources to RPS youth. With invaluable support from Richmond’s Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities (RPRCF) and Larry Belcher’s Spirit of Baseball group, this initiative is set to hit it out of the park. Larry Belcher, also the Director of Innovative Partnerships and Enrollment at Virginia Wesleyan University Global Campus, is committed to empowering students through sports.

As part of the SOLE initiative, VWU is offering a remarkable $44,000 scholarship to a qualifying RPS senior through their Integrating, Mentoring, Programming, and Cohort Training (IMPACT) STEM scholarship program – another home run for students.

The Metropolitan Junior Baseball League (MJBL), which conceived the SOLE initiative back in 2007, is playing a significant role in this initiative. Dr. Ramsey has asked MJBL to conduct the kick-off clinic for the new RPS elementary school baseball league.

Micah Crumm, who is the Central Virginia Commissioner for MJBL, said, “I was excited to hear that we will now be able to introduce baseball to our youth at an early age. I can’t think of a better way than to do it than through our public school system.”

Crumm will have some high school-age players from his summer league to assist with the camp. However, the most excitement will be provided when members of the Virginia State University (VSU) Trojan baseball team take the field with the students.

VSU head baseball coach Merrill Morgan, who was in Richmond recruiting players from MJBL’s Black World Series, was approached with the idea, and he didn’t hesitate to commit his support for the clinic.

Three clinics will run from  Monday, August 18-21.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players’ Alumni Association have all pledged their support for this upcoming spring to help ensure the success of this league.