Freeport International Baseball Invitational organizers celebrate another successful event

When South Buffalo Township’s Debbie Daugherty and Newmarket, Canada’s Deb Butt met at the 1996 Freeport International Baseball Invitational, a friendship sparked that has stood the test of time.

Their sons played on the fields throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley, and the now-longtime friends sat in the bleachers and got to know each other.

“My daughter, Angie, liked her son, Matt, and they became friends,” Daugherty said. “They sort of had a long-distance relationship and would visit for the holidays and things like that. When they got out of school, they kind of went their separate ways. But both families have remained friends and have kept in contact with each other.”

The International this week provided the backdrop as Daugherty and Butt reunited and spent several days reminiscing and sharing updates of their lives. The annual FIBI event still holds a special meaning.

“It will always be very close to our hearts,” Daugherty said.

“We’re very close now, and we wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for the (Freeport International). I consider Deb family. I really do.”

The connection between the Daugherty and Butt families is full of the international flavor that the week has been famous for since the first FIBI event in 1995.

“This week went as well as could be expected,” said FIBI president Chuck Sarver, who appreciated the support from volunteers and workers at all of the game sites, including James E. Swartz Memorial Field, the FIBI hub in Freeport Borough; as well as Freeport Community Park; Northmoreland Park; and Springdale, Highlands and Armstrong high schools.

“We lost a couple of games at Springdale due to rain, but the weather overall cooperated. We saw each team give great effort and play to the best of their abilities. There were a lot of one-run games. The team from Mars/Cranberry was concerned their team was too young, but they were very competitive and won a one-run game and lost a one-run game. Their coach was really happy about that. We heard a lot of good things from the teams, and that’s important to us because we want all of them to come back next year.”

The week’s worth of games culminated in the fireworks display Saturday evening in Freeport.

For the first time in three years, a team from outside the United States and Puerto Rico made its way to the Freeport International as France played games throughout the week.

The French contingent, which took in the sights of the Pittsburgh region, including Thursday’s Pirates game and a trip to the Andy Warhol museum, bolstered the Freeport International’s mission to have more international teams come next year.

France assistant coach Bruno Pasquer said he hopes a younger team in the 12-13 age range can travel next year.

“It wasn’t just special for the people of the Freeport International but also for Freeport and other communities all over the area,” FIBI vice president Dave Brestensky said of France’s presence.

“I know they’ve had a ton of fun learning a lot about the U.S. this week, and it’s been great learning about them. France’s coaches also talked about having us take a team over there in the coming year and have teams come in from other countries. They want to house our kids like people did for their players this week. We could put together a team with kids from different communities, which would be a great representation of the many areas which join the International every year.”

Sarver residents Larry and Judy Lutz housed two players from the French team this week, and like the other hosts, it is something they can’t wait to do again in years to come.

“It was a lot of fun,” Larry Lutz said. “They loved the food. We took them to Walmart, and their eyes lit up at everything and all of the choices. It was pretty cool to see the whole team on TV at the Pirates game. We recorded it and texted it to them so they could see they were on TV. They were super excited about that. This is the first time we hosted players because of other commitments before getting in the way. But we definitely want to do this again. The connections and friendships you make is what (the Freeport International) is all about.”

While this year’s Freeport International just concluded, plans already are underway for next year.

Sarver said committee members and others connected to the FIBI will gather in a couple of weeks to host a public meeting to wrap up this year’s week of games and kick off planning for next summer’s event with discussions ranging from fundraising efforts to the continued goal of bringing in international players and teams.