The 27th annual Jasper High School Baseball Boosters Banquet and Auction was held Saturday night at the First Methodist Church Wesley Center. The event had been postponed two weeks ago in anticipation of the winter weather that put ice on roadways and caused power outages and damage to trees in the area,
A larger crowd was on hand, and they bought tickets to try and win items that had been donated by local businesses and individuals. Tickets were draw for winners of each of the items. In addition, there was a live cake auction where baked goods went from $150.00 to $1000.00 for one cake. There were other items that were auctioned off with all the proceeds going to support the Jasper High School baseball program.
Master of Ceremonies, Steve Few of TLC Cleaners told those in attendance that over the years the Baseball Boosters had donated to the baseball team and purchased uniforms, equipment and even enclosing the batting cage. Coach Steven Westbrook told the audience that he has been at Jasper for 10 years and he still loves doing what he does. In addition, he commented about the difficult season that the team had, but he said, “We had 5 or 6 freshman starting last season and they are another year older and they are ready to compete!” In addition to the introduction of the players, the Jasper Diamond Girls who assist with all types of preparations and support for the team were introduced.
The players and the Diamond Girls functioned as servers, getting drinks and plates for the banquet guests and they sold the tickets for the item raffle. They also collected plates as guests finished their dinner.
The coaching staff then introduced seniors through freshmen, allowing the parents and supporters to see all the players and see what year they are in school. This year the Booster Club has 22 Major Sponsors which is the most that have ever been in the history of the program. There are even more business sponsors, and all the funds go to support the program. The final total of money that the fundraiser took in is not yet known, but in the past several thousands of dollars have been raised.
The Jasper baseball season gets underway on Monday, February 16 when the Bulldogs will host Lufkin Hudson for a game that starts at 1:00 PM at the baseball field. The Jasper Baseball Tournament will be March 6 – 8 and teams coming include Livingston, Center, Kilgore, and Carthage.
The Bulldogs district season will get underway on March 10th when the Vidor Pirates will come to Jasper. The district format will once again be playing the same team on Tuesday and Fridays in the same week, one at home and the other away. KJAS will again be broadcasting the Jasper baseball district games and broadcast sponsorships are still available.