Help This 'Band of Brothers' Raise Funds for an Upcoming Baseball Tournament

The Half Moon Bay Pirates Mutiny have been playing together since they were 9 years old.

Team mom Jodi Paik says “they are truly a band of brothers.”

Now the 12-year-olds on the traveling tournament baseball team have a chance to go to Cooperstown, New York, in August 2014 to play a seven-game guaranteed tournament where they will play teams from all over the country. But the trip isn't possible unless all of the boys are able to go and so the team is busy fundraising for donations to get there.

“My team and I would love it if any of you would be interested to help us achieve this great opportunity,” writes player No. 16 Max Paik to friends and family. “If you do want to donate, even the tiniest bit helps.”

The team is taking donations on a Go Fund Me campaign here. The donation is tax deductible because the team is a registered non-profit organization.  

If they make it to Cooperstown, there is a seeded tournament after the preliminary games are played. Manager Brian Lewis and coaches Geoff Downing and Nick Colvin, both Half Moon Bay High School baseball players who also played college ball, chose the Cooperstown All-Star Village because other Pirates teams from Half Moon Bay have traveled there before and the Pirates Mutiny has had an excellent run over the years, placing from first to third in past tournaments. Their most recent big win was first place at the San Carlos Tournament last July where both Paik and Luca Padua were each one pitch away from perfect games.

Some of the Cooperstown tournament games will be viewable via live webcam for friends and relatives who are not traveling with the team.

The current roster includes:

#1 - Ryan Piccolotti (RF, LF, 2B)

#3 - Bailey Harger (LF, RF, 3B)

#6 - David Fisher (P, SS, 2B, CF)

#7 - Angelo Molossi (P, CF, 1B)

#15 - Michael Hourani (LF, RF, 3B, 1B)

#16 - Max Paik (P, C, 3B, 1B)

#23 - Dante Nogara (P, RF, LF)

#27 - Dwyer Lewis (P, SS, C)

#39 - Travis Sarabia (LF, RF)

#46 - Joey Garcia (P, C, 3B, 1B)

#48 - Spencer Ladd (P, C, SS)

#55 - Casildo Guevara-Ramirez (P, CF, 1B, 3B)

So far the team is just a third of the way to reaching their dream goal, which is raising $22,500 to get to Cooperstown. That’s $850 per player or coach, plus travel costs from Half Moon Bay (about $650/person), or $1,500/person. Their dream goal is to support all of the tournament and travel expenses for all of their 12 players and three coaches.

They’ve raised more than $7,000 (sweatshirt sales, from family and friends) but need the community's help to raise more.

To help the Pirates Mutiny get to Cooperstown, visit http://www.gofundme.com/pirates-mutiny