Tri-Cities Boys’ Baseball Team Set to Tour in Taiwan

A baseball team of 10 Tri-Cities boys will travel to Taiwan in August to wear the red, white and blue as they challenge Taiwanese youth baseball teams in professional-size stadiums seating thousands of fans, the Chicago Tribune reports.

According to the paper, the team will leave on Aug. 6 and play three games each against three different teams, nine games total in 10 days. Businessman Mark Pelley of Aurora, who arranged the trip, told the paper that no American youth baseball team had ever traveled to Taiwan before this trip.

"This is going to be a life-changing experience and a life-lasting experience too," team coach Dan Rothengass said. "They are going to see things that most 13-year-old and 14-year-old American kids have never seen in person. 

"We are not going as an elite travel team," he added. "We are going as a bunch of kids getting together to (play) some ... games and have some fun over there.” 

As listed by the paper, the team members are Tyler Munoz, Matt Shoppe, Justin Pelley, Joey Beaudoin, Alex Salyards, Sean Adams, Jarrad Chabria, Luke Rothenglass and John Lemon. Coaches are Dan Rothengass and Mark Pelley. 

Read the full story and see a team photo at the Chicago Tribune website.