By: Mitchell Cutcher, Reporter
OMAHA, Neb. – The Millard Sox is an organization that play in American Legion Baseball, but they are unique because their player base is comprised of players that have already been cut from their high school team. The team is giving high schoolers a second chance to keep playing baseball.
“It is an opportunity for players who don’t make their high school teams,” said Vince Davenport, who is a coach in the organization. “They love playing baseball, and they want to keep playing. When it was started in ’06, ’07 that was the purpose of it for mostly Millard West kids, and it has grown over the years.”
The Sox now take players from 13 different high schools across the Omaha metro area. The high schools range from schools such as Bennington, Gretna, Elkhorn, Papillion and the Millard high schools. This player base has helped the team stay competitive and they made the state tournament in 2012.
The main goal of the Sox is to keep developing players and helping them continue their baseball careers. The organization has helped about 40 players go on to make their high school team after being cut in a previous year. For the team it is more about helping the kids develop than it is the record at the end of the day.
Another aspect of the organization that adds to the uniqueness is that since they are not affiliated with a high school their coaches do not have to be teachers.
Tristen Petersen is a student at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and was once a player for the Millard Sox. In his free time Petersen now serves as the pitching coordinator for the organization.
“Just being able to take that knowledge that I’ve learned and kind of hone throughout the game and hours and hours of research, just doing my own stuff, and give it to these guys,” said Petersen on how he gives back to the players he now coaches. “Give it to the best of my ability to teach them about the game of baseball and try to get them to the next level if they want to. It’s just so rewarding.”
In the 16 year history of the Millard Sox they have had over 90 former players go on to play college baseball. This is what the organization is most proud of, giving kids a second chance and watching them go on to be successful.
