CHANUTE — Raising over $3,700, Chanute hosted the 18U Play for Colin baseball and softball tournament over the weekend. With games played at Santa Fe Sports Complex and Hudson Field, funds generated supported Chanute athlete Colin Keating, a rising senior who is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“If we could trade places with him, we would,” said Ryan Ortiz, the tournament director, the sports director for the City of Chanute and the Chanute High School baseball coach. “Everybody’s next best thing was to help raise money and relieve costs with him having to go through treatment. It always seems like a weird thing to raise money for somebody, but it’s how you show that you care. So that’s why we wanted to take funds from this tournament to help them.”
The Pride Select out of Shawnee won the softball tournament while the Iola Indians won the baseball tournament.
The tournament didn’t charge a gate fee, instead taking donations for the Keating family.
“I’m close with a lot of these coaches,” Ortiz said. “Once I told them what we were doing, they knew they were coming. Everybody did well. We didn’t do a gate — we asked for donations. Everybody in the community came together. Everybody poured out.”
Keating, who’s aiming to be back on the field for the Blue Comets next spring after his treatment, was honored with the outpouring of support.
“I was shocked and surprised at how everything turned out,” Ortiz said. “People really came out and supported us. The amount of donations was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be.”
Teams throughout Southeast Kansas, including Chanute, Humboldt, Thayer and Iola, were in attendance over the weekend.
“With my job, the hardest thing any year is getting teams committed,” Ortiz said. “We just want teams to give us a chance and see how we do things here at the complex. We run things well. So travel to Chanute and feel like you’re cared for. You go to other places and they just care if you paid your entry fee.”
The Keating family is also accepting donations. Checks can be made out to Amy or Pete Keating and mailed to Ortiz at 1200 Osa Martin Boulevard, Chanute, KS, 66720.
