By Seven teams took to the diamond at the Players Field Complex Friday, July 12 for the third annual Battle of the Heroes Softball Tournament.
The seven included Aberdeen Fire & Rescue; the Aberdeen Police Department; Aberdeen Parks and Rec; Avera St. Luke’s; Sanford Health; the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks; and South Dakota Army National Guard.
Brandon Thorpe delivers a pitch for Avera St. Luke’s during the Battle of the Heroes softball tournament Friday, July 12. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo
JD Bourelle has organized the event through the years.
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“I enjoy doing this, I really do,” Bourelle said. “I think giving back to your community any way possible is a great thing. It’s also a way to celebrate Players Field Complex. We have an amazing complex in Aberdeen, and we’re very lucky that the city put extra funds towards softball. They didn’t have to, but they did and people love playing here. We saw it with the … state softball tournaments.”
Originally dubbed Battle of the Badges, the first two tournaments consisted of four teams, but the tournament grew because of demand.
“We had Aberdeen fire department, police department, parks and rec and the South Dakota National Guard when we started,” Bourelle said. “This year, we added Avera, Sanford, and the game and fish department. Those teams actually came to us and expressed their interest in playing. We got together to figure out how to expand and were able to put the tournament together.”
Bourelle also believes the Battle of Heroes will continue to grow.
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“We actually tried to get a team from Watertown, but they only had five players available because they found out about it a little late, but I would love to make this a Saturday event, more of a full tournament-style event,” Bourelle said. “I wouldn’t mind getting this to 16 teams, and to be able to help out that many more charities would be pretty awesome.”
Each team takes the field playing for a charity of its choice with proceeds from donation buckets being split and dispersed among the charities.
“It’s pretty awesome when you find out which charity the teams are playing for. That’s really what this tournament is about,” Bourelle said.
That and a few pieces of hardware.
“Game on, yes, exactly,” he said. “Each team plays for the title ‘battle champion’ and gets a team plaque. Consolation championship also plays for a plaque, and there is a traveling trophy as well, so, yes, in addition to the charities there’s a element of competition to this as well.”