Baseball play began Feb. 9, but fundraising begins months before the season starts. The ninth annual pancake breakfast fundraiser raised $2,475 this year. Each player was responsible for selling at least 20 tickets, each costing $5. The record of attendance was broken by 168 attendees, serving 495 people. The breakfast was brought to an early close because of the success of the event.
“The support for the breakfast has grown each year. This year was by far the biggest. So big that we were actually out of everything 25 minutes before we were set to close,” organizer Mrs. Marty Leibel said. “When I say everything, I mean forks, napkins, pancakes, and sausage. I think the only thing we had left was decaf coffee. And we did have to shut down early because we were out of everything. Otherwise, we would have served over 500 faithful Marietta baseball fans.”
Upon entering the breakfast, guests were welcomed at the door by freshman boys who were on the JV team as eighth graders last season.
Freshmen welcomed people in and collected pre-paid tickets or directed people to buy tickets, and they monitored attendance numbers with a clicker.
“The fact that we had twice as many people was kinda crazy that it doubled in attendance,” freshman Elliott Owen said. “It was also good team building since we were all there together, and anything that we can do together as a team is important for the community to be involved as well.”
At the Blue Devil Diner, sophomores served guests their pancakes and sausages. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, juniors and seniors were on the grill flipping pancakes. The pancakes were made fresh behind the cafeteria, the players took the pancakes directly from the grill to have them plated and served.
“It was my fifth year at the pancake breakfast. I enjoyed getting to work the grill, which is the best job,” senior Ross Madrerohon said. “The challenge was meeting the demand of customers while running out of batter.”
Coach Davis emphasized how the event is more than just a fundraiser, how it also builds connection and character.
“Our players are asked to get out into the community and talk to people about purchasing tickets. Hopefully, getting out and speaking to people builds community awareness and allows our players to grow by being productive and representing something bigger than themselves,” Coach Davis said.
Along with the breakfast fundraiser, baseball hosts many fundraisers throughout the year like painted pumpkins and a Boston Butt fundraiser. Apart from fundraising, the team also offers ad sales for family or local businesses looking to support the Marietta baseball team.
“Come out and support our Blue Devils at our home games this spring. We will have a really good squad,” Coach Davis said.
With more than 40 games in the regular season for JV and varsity, there are plenty of opportunities to attend a game. Pitchfork will have coverage of the season online soon, and team info along with sponsor info is @bluedevilbaseball on IG.
