Dear KPB Community,
We launched Keep Playing Baseball in 2012 knowing 2 things: 1) we wanted to continue a legacy of helping youth baseball players continue to play the game; and 2) we wanted to provide an affordable path to college baseball so players from any background or circumstances could play in college and earn a college degree if they were willing to work hard. We know our “why”– a passion for helping others benefit from playing baseball and desire to make the path to college accessible for everyone– and began building the vehicle to deliver on this vision. Fast forward a decade and despite the extraordinary circumstances everyone has faced the last few years, we are in the best position we’ve ever been in to deliver on our mission.
Thanks to your support and help, the end of 2022 helps us celebrate a decade of growth. We’ve turned our “why” into a legitimate platform for players and parents to access all the resources and information they need to make educated decisions in the college search process and make playing in college a reality. Our resources are free, accurate, available around the clock, and working as intended.
While in the grand scheme, we remain a small operation, the last few years proved that we are resilient and just scratching the surface of our capabilities. We continue to add ways to help youth ballplayers continue to play the game they love. In addition to passing 1 million all-time page views and 500,000 site users in 2022, we also ran free clinics for hundreds of youth players, paid league fees for players who otherwise couldn’t afford to play, and are in the process of setting up a college scholarship for a first generation college baseball player.
If we’ve learned anything in the last decade, it’s that each year brings new challenges. 2023 will be no different and we are excited to overcome these obstacles and help the growing number of players who depend on access to the quality information and support that KPB provides. As always, we look to the new year with optimism and a renewed commitment to find creative ways to assist players where they need help. We have the following organizational goals in mind:
- Partner with MLB players and organizations to support and encourage youth players of all ages
- Improve our web resources and online courses for high school players and parents
- Expand partnerships with like minded organizations/individuals
- Launch a scholarship for first generation college students
- Provide more free clinics and educational opportunities for youth ballplayers
In what has become a New Year’s tradition, we turn to the words of the late, great Hall of Famer and humanitarian, Roberto Clemente for guidance and inspiration. “Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.”
Wishing everyone a healthy and happy 2023. We look forward to working with you in 2023 to make a difference and appreciate your support!
Ethan and the KPB Team
*If you’d like to make a year-end charitable donation to Keep Playing Baseball, you can do so HERE.
