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2024 Chuck Schafer Scholarship Winners

 
  
 Return to the Chuck Schafer Tournament page.

Read about past winners of the Chuck Schafer Scholatship.


Evan Sweder

Sophia Rivera
 

BCB Announces Chuck Schafer Scholarship Winners

Citing lasting friendships and life lessons learned in their days playing Little League baseball and softball, Sophia Rivera and Evan Sweder have been awarded a 2024 Chuck Schafer Memorial Scholarship from Boardman Community Baseball.

Boardman Community Baseball has been a huge part of my life since I was five years old.  I started playing mushball and we didn’t know or care which team won.  The only thing we cared about was the ice cream after the game”, said Rivera.  “The best part about playing softball at BCB is the lifelong friendships I’ve gained”.  

Sweder noted, “From mushball to the Pony fields, I enjoyed my experience playing baseball.  BCB has taught me more than how to be a great ball player, I’ve learned the valuable life lessons of perseverance, health and teamwork.”

Rivera noted, “The mental aspect is the most important part of your game.  If you are not confident in your ability, you will fail nine out of ten times.  You must always believe in yourself and your teammates.  Trusting yourself and your teammates allows you play as a team; you win as a team, and you lose as a team.”

Rivera who earned a 3.9 GPA at Boardman High School was a member of the softball and golf teams.  She was also active in many school activities including spanish club, science club and National Honors Society, while volunteering for Salvation Army and Making Kids Count.  Sophia plans on majoring in clinical psychology at Youngstown State University in the fall, while competing for the YSU Women’s golf team.

“Making tough decisions is something that I learned while playing baseball and helped me to become a quick thinker and more confident in my actions.    Being a decisive and confident person allowed me to stay persistent through my tennis and cross county career in high school.” Said Sweder.

Sweder was a 4-year member of the Boardman tennis team and 2-year member of the cross country team.  In addition to sports, he was also a member of the chess club and the STEM club.  He also volunteered for the Mill Creek Metro Parks.  Evan graduated with a 3.96 GPA and plans to study engineering at Ohio State University.

“Boardman Community Baseball developed more than just my baseball skills.  It has taught me to push through obstacles, manage my health and be part of team.” Said Sweder.

Rivera noted, “Looking back, playing fastpitch was the first challenge I faced in my life.  It was the first time that I faced adversity; specifically, the fear of having older girls pitch to me.  I later learned that I needed to be a leader to the younger girls because they were now in the position that I was in when I was younger.”

Boardman Community Baseball honors its children who have shown that lessons learned on the ballfields can be carried to the classroom and throughout life, with the Chuck Schafer Scholarship.  Chuck Schafer was a past coach, volunteer and league President who used his skills as a talented architect to design the Fields of Dreams Complex to cater to families who love Little League as he did.  He believed in giving back to his community and paying it forward. 

This year will mark the 20h year of providing scholarships.  During this time, Boardman Community Baseball has awarded over $95,000 in scholarships to former BCB ball players.


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