Barger attends Youth Baseball Opening Day
Supervisor Kathryn Barger, 5th district, attended Santa Clarita Youth Baseball’s opening day ceremony, where she presented a scroll to Hart High School freshman Cayden Kollasch.
“Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the start of our SCYB Spring 2023 Season! Our opening day festivities were a hit — we enjoyed getting to spend the morning with hundreds of Santa Clarita families,” read a social media post by SCYB. “And a special thank you to Los Angeles County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger for her ongoing support and for helping us kick off the season.”
For the past six years, Kollasch has donated his Christmas and birthday money to SCYB — which each year gave a kid the chance to play in the league who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford to. According to SCYB, Kollasch was inspired to do so by a pro baseball player from the Santa Clarita Valley.
“As a pitcher himself, Cayden was inspired to give back to his community by Cincinnati Reds’ pitcher Hunter Greene,” read a statement from SCYB. “Thank you to this thoughtful young man for his philanthropic spirit and kind heart. We appreciate his support that makes a difference for kids throughout Santa Clarita.”
In addition to Barger, speakers included SCYB President Jim Robbins, Los Angeles County Regional Recreation Director Trevor Zemp and Babe Ruth Baseball representative Tom Williams.
The national anthem was led by the Santa Clarita Young Marines, the first pitch was thrown by Kollasch, and all teams, from tee-ball to academy, were introduced and were able to walk the bases.