A game-changer: 2 local organizations working to level the playing field for kids through baseball

BOSTON (WHDH) – Two local baseball organizations are working together to level the playing field by providing new bats to student-athletes.

Pete O’Brien, CEO of Mine Bats donated the new equipment to a Boston-based program called The Base.

“In 2013 we started The Base and we’re using sports as a vehicle for shifting the narrative for urban young folks,” President and Founder Robert Lewis Jr. said.

The Base also focuses on educational and career opportunities for their student-athletes.

“If you take a tough kid who has a passion for the game and wants to improve in life, he needs to have the right tools,” O’Brien said. “So, that’s where we step in.”

Along with the new equipment, the two leaders want to give everyone an equal opportunity to succeed.

“Some of these kids come from very tough environments, and they work hard. And at The Base you have to earn it,” O’Brien said.

Some of the kids got a chance to test out the bats Thursday and said the gift is a game-changer.

“A lot of us can’t really afford bats in inner cities and for us to get free bats is a blessing for us,” one student said.

Mine Bats is expected to deliver a total of 400 bats worth over $50,000. They are also working on providing equipment to the girls’ softball team.

(Copyright (c) 2021 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)