Brian Furey, 7, of Strathmere, competed in a “Pitch, Hit and Run” Competition on May 23. The event was an official skills competition of Major League Baseball, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Villa Marie Council 6342 of Galloway and Absecon.
Furey competed in the 7-8 year old division for this local level challenge. Athletes competed in Pitching (pitching a ball from 45 feet away at a 17- by 30-inch strike zone), Hitting (batting off a tee and hitting the ball toward straight-away centerfield for distance and accuracy) and Running (sprinting 160 feet from second base, touching third and finishing across home plate).
Brian won the running portion for the competition and will have the opportunity to compete in all three events at Sectionals. An overall winner and individual winners from each skill area advanced to the Sectional Competition (South Jersey), which was held Sunday, May 31 in Sewell. Furey placed fourth in the Sewell competition.
The winners from Sewell compete in the Team Championship Level hosted at Citizens Bank Park . Advancement from this competition is the National Finals to be held at the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis. When asked about the competition, Brian he was happy to have the chance to compete and did his best in the Sectional event.
In addition to playing baseball, Furey participates in soccer and basketball teams, studies piano and is currently a purple belt in karate working towards his black belt. He is a first-grader at Bishop McHugh Regional Catholic School in Ocean View.
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