A Contra Costa County youth baseball league is in desperate need after someone broke into their storage facility and then set it on fire.
To say Andre Williams is passionate about coaching youth baseball would be an understatement.
He’s coached youth baseball for more than 20 years. As the president of the San Pablo Baseball Association, Williams said the chance to guide local youth in a positive direction is what keeps him going every day.
“It just gives them that sense of being, that sense of teamwork, that sense of being part of something. It really makes them feel like this is something they can really go out and do,” he said.
But on Monday morning, Williams received some devastating news that their storage facility was burglarized and set on fire, destroying the equipment needed for games.
San Pablo police arrested a man connected to the incident. But the motive is still under investigation.
The incident is coming as a shock to players and parents, who are concerned the league may be put on pause.
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“It was very sad because all these kids look forward to doing something after school and they get all their hopes up. You hear about this in other cities. You didn’t think it would happen in your neighborhood,” said Fred Maez, a parent of one of the players.
“I was pretty sad that fall ball could have been canceled from it. That's why I was kind of scared and sad. Because baseball probably one of the things I mostly do during the summer, spring and fall,” said Jesiah Lutche, a youth baseball player.
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But Williams said there’s no plans to suspend the league, setting up a GoFundMe to help cover costs for new equipment with plans for car washes and bake sales this week to cover some of the costs.
The first games are still set for Saturday but he’s remaining hopeful things will work out despite the major setback.
“I’m not going to let some guy just because he burned, thrash our dreams and hopes. I'm not going to have him have that authority over us. I’m going keep this league going no matter what I have to do,” he said.
