Chad Shepherd insists the annual Gates Field World Series, held in Kearns, is one of the top amateur baseball tournaments in the country.
A member of the Marshall Gates Foundation board of directors, which runs the event, Shepherd might be biased. But if the 2015 field is any indication, he’s got evidence to back his claim.
This year’s tournament (July 3-8) will feature some elite competition from Colorado, California, Texas, Mississippi and Ohio, as well as two teams from Utah. Of the eight teams in the field, four finished 2014 in the Perfect Game U18 Top 20.
“You really have to set the expectations of how good the tournament is going to be, how great the facility Gates Field is and how high-level the competition will be, and we’ve done that,” Shepherd said, explaining that trips to the Beehive State from places such as Ohio can cost upward of $40,000. “We’ve done a good job doing it and we’re still striving.”
Many of the rosters feature athletes who have committed to play at some of the premier Division I college programs in the country, as the future of the Big 12, Pac-12, SEC and Big Ten will be well-represented.
On the local front, the Utah Marshalls and Utah Bucks rosters are filled with players who have made a big impact on the Beehive State's high school baseball scene.
In addition to Pine View’s Dakota Donovan, who has committed to Oregon State, Keaton Kringlen (Canyon View, BYU) and Chandler Anderson (Park City, the U.) will play in the tournament.
Numerous others who will play are set to suit up at Dixie State and Salt Lake Community College. A few are planning on playing at schools outside the state.
Though the teams from Utah aren’t seen as quite in the same caliber as others, Shepherd still feels they can make their mark.
“Baseball is a tricky game,” he said. “Sometimes it’s great, sometimes it’s bad. If we get a couple of bounces and play the way we’re capable of, I like our chances.”
Gates Field is located at Kearns High School. Admission to the event is $3. Click here for the complete schedule.
Ryan McDonald is a part-time reporter at the Deseret News. Follow him on Twitter @ryanwmcdonald.