Northwest baseball club hangs up cleats
Northwest baseball club hangs up cleats
However, one local team has been fortunate to play (and win) together since they were 9 years old, never straying far from the original core roster comprised of talented children all living within a five-mile radius, all getting their start in Babe Ruth's Northwest Baseball.
The Bakersfield Jr. Renegades, a longtime travel baseball team, are trading in their red and black uniforms for high school jerseys after competing in their final tournament together July 27 to August 1 in the Triple Crown World Series, held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Participating among 28 teams from Mexico to Georgia, the 14-year-old Renegades managed a fourth place finish, defeating many organizations who recruited ace players specifically to win the coveted title. Competing among the sons of professional athletes, the Renegades hit five homeruns, scored 68 additional runs, and were considered "the most fundamentally sound team" at the tournament.
Founded by Byron Campbell in the summer of 1998, the team traveled to tournaments all over California. In 1999, the boys enjoyed the privilege of being among a group of players selected to represent Northwest Bakersfield's 10-year-old All-Stars. With the help of coaches Mike Letourneau, Rob Robinson and Phil Westendorf, the boys spent their summer vacation traveling throughout California and Nevada, silencing other leagues with their extraordinary ability and competitive spirit. The team eventually garnered the title of Pacific Southwest Regional Champions and, at that time, went as far as 10-year-olds could go in the Babe Ruth Baseball organization.
In the years that followed, the Jr. Renegades qualified for and competed in travel league world series tournaments in Texas, Nebraska, and Colorado, placing as high as third against as many as 35 other teams representing cities across North and South America.
Their accomplishments earned respect, especially by those who learned that half the team attended the same elementary school, unlike other baseball clubs who recruited top players from largely populated cities across southern California.
The Renegades didn't seem to notice.
Still, their athletic ability is not all that makes them unique. Over half the players are honor students, and most play football, basketball and junior golf. They are involved in math clubs, leadership, drama, oral language and history field day competitions.
Because the boys have been together so many years, they enjoy team unity on and off the field, often spending vacations, holidays, weekends and birthdays together. Parental support plays a key role in ensuring such academic and extra-curricular success, but as one junior high principal said recently, "They're just good kids."
As this chapter of their lives closes and the boys move on to compete as Golden Hawks and Patriots, they will undoubtedly continue to represent the Northwest well.
The retiring players of the original Jr. Renegades team consist of: Dustin Robinson, CF; Justin Hayslett, C; Jarret Martin, 1B, P; Byron Campbell, 3B, P; Joe Ramirez, SS, P; Ethan Williams, RF; Andrew Letourneau, 2B, C; Sam Westendorf, LF, P; Nick Fox, 2B, SS, and Brian Freitag 2B. Valuable players added later were Jordan Hussey, P, and Jason Berg, C.
