For any kid who plays travel baseball in Florida, there's one trip that sits at the top of the bucket list: Cooperstown Dreams Park in Cooperstown, New York -- home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Every summer, thousands of 12-and-under players from across the country converge there for a week-long tournament that most of them will remember for the rest of their lives.

A group of FishHawk 12U players is working to make that dream happen, and they're asking the community for a boost.

What's the Trip?

Cooperstown Dreams Park hosts week-long tournaments from June through August each summer. Teams play multiple games per day on fields that back up to the rolling hills of upstate New York. Players stay in barracks on-site, trade pins with players from other states, and attend a ceremony at the Hall of Fame. It's part tournament, part summer camp, part pilgrimage.

The cost? Roughly $1,000 per player for the tournament alone, plus travel, equipment, and meals. For a full roster, the tab can run north of $20,000.

Who Are These Kids?

The FishHawk 12U squad is a travel ball team made up of players from the FishHawk and Lithia area, many of whom attend local schools like Bevis Elementary, Barrington Middle, and Newsome High School's feeder system. These kids have been playing together through FishHawk youth leagues and select ball programs, and Cooperstown would be the capstone of their 12U year before they age into the bigger fields and bigger competition of 13U and beyond.

How They're Raising Money

The team has organized several fundraising efforts, including:

• Spirit Nights at local restaurants. A Chipotle Spirit Night in November 2025 and a Dave and Buster's Spirit Night in January 2026 directed a portion of sales to the team fund.
• Bullfrog Bingo Night held in February 2026 -- a community event with prizes and laughs.
• Volunteering at Metropolitan Ministries in Tampa, where the team gave back during the Thanksgiving holiday season. While not a direct fundraiser, it showed these kids are learning about community alongside curveballs.
• Direct donations through the team's GoFundMe and social media channels.

Why It Matters

Youth sports in the Valrico, FishHawk, and Lithia area are a big deal. Walk through any neighborhood on a Saturday morning and you'll see travel ball bags in driveways, soccer gear drying on fences, and parents running between fields. These aren't just games -- they're the connective tissue of the community.

A trip to Cooperstown gives these 12-year-olds something beyond baseball. It teaches them about teamwork under pressure, representing their hometown hundreds of miles from home, and the experience of being part of something bigger. And let's be honest -- for a kid from FishHawk, playing baseball in the shadow of the Hall of Fame is pretty unforgettable.

How You Can Help

If you'd like to support the FishHawk 12U Cooperstown fund:

• Attend a Spirit Night. Follow the team's social media pages for upcoming restaurant events.
• Donate directly. Check their GoFundMe or reach out through the FishHawk youth baseball community on Facebook.
• Sponsor a player. Local businesses can sponsor individual players and get recognition at team events.
• Spread the word. Share their fundraiser posts. Sometimes visibility is the most valuable thing you can give.

The FishHawk 12U team represents something good about this community: families coming together, kids working hard, and neighbors helping neighbors get to the big stage. If you can help, do it. If you can't, cheer them on from here. Cooperstown is waiting.