By Georgia Thelen
Review Writer
Ryan Stimac, a seventh grader at Scripps Middle School got to live out any young baseball player’s dream on Thanksgiving weekend.
Stimac got to travel to Sarasota, Florida from Nov. 25-27 to play in the Junior All-American Games at the Baltimore Orioles Spring Training Complex.
The event featured the top baseball athletes from over 20 different states and Stimac was the only player to be selected from the state of Michigan.
“The tournament was really organized and I got to meet new friends from other states,” said Stimac.
Stimac currently plays for the 13U Little Caesars baseball travel team. He earned the title of Game MVP at the Game Day Super Regional in June, which led him to play and win at the All-Star MVP Tournament in Grand Rapids in July.
From Grand Rapids, he was then scouted to play in the Junior All-American Games.
“I liked playing on the Major League field in the Baltimore Oriole stadium,” said Stimac. “All the kids on my team were amazing players and the games were very close. Our team tried really hard and finished in 2nd place.”
In the past, Stimac played 3 years in the Lake Orion Youth Baseball League and was on the 2011 8U All-Star team.
The Junior All-American Games included an opening ceremony on the beach, the game competition, instruction from current players and college coaches, a skills showcase, player evaluations, a home run derby and of course, the opportunity for athletes to play on the same field as the Major Leaguers.