The 42nd Annual Memorial Day Baseball Classic will take place in Douglas this weekend at Copper King Stadium.

Games will be played both Saturday and Sunday. The game times scheduled for Saturday are at 11 a.m. with the second game to start at 2:30 p.m. Sunday’s game will also start at 11 a.m. with presentation of certificates of appreciation and the presentation of four scholarship recipients after the game. Hector Brown, Sr., brother of Sergio Brown, Sr., will have the honor of throwing the first pitch in memory of the late Sergio “Cananea” Brown and Ruben “Toro” Campas, the organizers who started this baseball game tradition.

Among the Los Angeles Broncos baseball team will be Sergio A. Brown, Jr., son of the late Sergio Brown, Sr. He came to Douglas every year for the baseball games as a young kid when his dad was the manager of the LA Broncos and continues now as a player. He is currently a coach at UC-San Diego, Division II school, where recently were one game short of reaching the finals. While in college he played at Cal State-Fullerton when they won the College World Series in 1995. He has coached baseball at Cypress College, Cal State- Fullerton and UC-Irvine. While at UC-Irvine in 2007 they were eliminated by ASU at the college world series. While as coach at Cal State-Fullerton they managed to win the College World Series in 2009. Also, scheduled to appear are the late Ruben “Toro” Campas sons’ Claudio and Ruben who play for the Los Angeles Broncos. Sergio, Sr. and Ruben, Sr. were the original organizers who started the baseball classic tradition in 1970 and the sons are continue to follow their fathers’ baseball dreams.

It has been 42 times the LA and Douglas teams have faced each other in this tradition started in 1970. Some of the players who will be on hand and have been participating for many years for the Douglas team will be Rene “Chalira” Brown, Hilary Chavez, Efrain Brown, Cande Beltran, Hector “Pato” Leon. Playing for the Los Angeles Broncos will be a former Douglas resident Jerry Lara. We want to thank the L.A. Broncos baseball team and Jessie Martinez, manager for once again making the long trip from LA to make this classic possible.

These games promise to be a good baseball experience for all Douglas residents to participate and enjoy. The Memorial Day Baseball Classic committee invites all the residents of Douglas, Pirtleville, Agua Prieta, Elfrida, Bisbee, and surrounding communities to come down and enjoy an old fashion hometown baseball game tradition.

The committee also raises funds through local sponsors for scholarships who are awarded each year to high school grads. Up to this date; thanks to local sponsors: Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Dairy Queen of Southern Arizona, Francisco Parra & Family Fund, four scholarships will be presented to four deserving college bound girls and boys following Sunday’s game. Last years recipients were AJ Acosta and Tony Young. AJ is currently playing baseball with Cochise College here in Douglas and Tony went on to play baseball with Benedictine University and reports are that they are both doing great respectively.

If you wish to donate to the Memorial Day Classic scholarship fund to support our local youth to further their education send your contributions to: PCAN Memorial Day Baseball Classic in care of Efrain Brown at 3130 13th Street, Douglas, AZ 85607 or send your donations to Southeastern Arizona Federal Credit Union: Memorial Day Baseball Classic account number 28131. Your contributions are tax deductible under sponsoring Fiscal Agent; Pirtleville Community Action Network, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity organization.

If you have any questions concerning the baseball classic please call Efrain Brown at 520-364-7023 or 520-227-7966. Call Hector Salinas at 520-227-2857 concerning any questions on your tax deductible donations. Thank you very much for your support and we will see you at the ball game.