A TIDE OF SUPPORT
Ceppetelli scholarship fund aided by friends, summer baseball team
Alex Bostrom and Axel Post were friends with Drew Ceppetelli, going back to the second grade at Barrington Elementary School. In fact, Ceppetelli’s mother said the two were more like brothers to her daughter, not friends.
“They all were best friends,” Melissa Ceppetelli said.
Bostrom and Post are playing with the Northeast Tides baseball team this summer, and along with Tides manager Scott Bleakley, they have organized a trio of fundraisers this summer to benefit the Drew Ceppetelli Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Ceppetelli, a 2019 graduate of CoeBrown Northwood Academy, lost her life at age 21 last Thanksgiving morning in a car accident in Portsmouth. She was a senior softball player at Salve Regina University of Rhode Island, where she attended school after an athletic career growing up in Barrington, New Hampshire.
“These fund-raisers are tough, but it’s nice to have a reason to keep saying Drew’s name,” said Post, a 2019 graduate of Dover High School who played baseball the past two springs at Rollins College, a Division II school in Winter Park, Florida. “I want to do events like this every year so everybody remembers the name Drew Ceppetelli because she deserves it.”
The third and final fundraiser of the summer season with the Tides will take place Friday at Hadlock Field in Portland, Maine.
“Every step of the way, everybody, especially (Bleakley), has been on board with these fundraisers,” said Bostrom, who graduated from the University of Rhode Island this spring. “(Bleakley) has been huge, and we appreciate that. He looked at (Ceppetelli) as an extension of Axel and I, and that really means a lot.”
On Friday, there will be a home run derby from 5 to 6:15 p.m. called “Dingers
for Drew.” Guests can sponsor a player and pledge a monetary amount for each home run that player hits.
An exhibition game will follow between the Tides and Team Ceppetelli, which will be managed by Bostrom and Post.
“I am really not surprised Alex and Axel are doing (these fundraisers) because that is the kind of men that they are,” said Melissa Cepetelli, fighting back tears. “We love them so much, and Drew loved them so much. The support from the Tides and their teammates, coaches and community has been overwhelming. To see and hear people coming together who didn’t even know Drew, but they are supporting Alex and Axel, means so much for us. ... It’s truly been a gift.
“There are days where I am not sure I am going to make it through and the community and these people are there to show us that we’re not alone and that Drew was special,” Melissa Ceppetelli continued. “We’re going to do good things and keep her memory alive and try to give back in a way that she would be proud of.”
Admission to Friday’s home run derby and game is free, but donations will be accepted at the gate. Fans can also purchase Drew Ceppetelli Northeast Tide jerseys, as well as T-shirts, baseball hats and hoodies.
“It really means a lot for Axel and I to set up these events and have so many people show up,” Bockstrom said. “It’s very gratifying to see how many people agree that Drew was such an amazing person. She meant a lot to so many people.”
Proceeds from these fundraisers not only help fund the scholarship that will go to a Coe-Brown senior each June, but also help organizations like Soul Models, a nonprofit organization in Portsmouth which “empowers girls to discover their authentic selves as they become mindful, confident, creative and engaged leaders.”
“Drew was focused on having a strong mind, a strong body, and having a positive outlook on life and being mindful of being positive, manifesting good things, focusing on mental health and being a good person,” Melissa said. “Soul Minds embodies everything that Drew was about.”
This past June, the inaugural Drew Ceppetelli Memorial Scholarship was given to Mallory Taylor.
“(Taylor) was a good teammate, a good student, inclusive and was positive,” Melissa said. “In the face of a struggle, she continued to remain positive and worked hard.”
The Tides held a fundraiser last month at Polar Park, the home of the Worcester Red Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Post, who did not homer in 32 games over two seasons at Division II Rollins College, blasted a homer in a game against a team from the Boston Yawkey League.
“I am not a home run hitter, and I normally don’t hit balls like that,” Post said. “It’s not like we were playing at a small park, we were we at Polar Park. When the ball went over the fence you think, ‘Yeah, I am getting some help there.’ That wasn’t all me, it was awesome. It was a cool moment to share with (Bleakley), (Bostrom) and everyone on the team.”