Two North Idaho youths qualify for Pitch, Hit & Run National Finals

Two Hayden, Idaho youths are going to Cincinnati to compete in the National Finals of Major League Baseball's Pitch, Hit & Run skills competition during All-Star Week.

This will be the second trip to the National Finals for Hayley Loffer, who will compete in the 13-14 Year Old Girls Division. She was a finalist in 2013 in the 11-12 Year Old Girls Division at the 2013 Pitch, Hit & Run Finals at Citi Field in New York.

The other finalist is 10 year old Trevor Cogley, who will compete in the 9-10 Year Old Boys division. Trevor is a member of the Hayden Little League All-Stars.

Hayley and Trevor earned their spots by placing first in their age divisions at the Pitch, Hit & Run Team Championships at Safeco Field on June 21, and then having the top scores among all competitors in their age divisions.

The 24 national finalists in the Pitch, Hit & Run program, the official youth skills competition of Major League Baseball, were announced yesterday live on MLB Tonight on MLB Network. These 24 boys and girls will compete at the National Finals and participate in activities during MLB All-Star Week.

The competition will take place on the field at Great American Ball Park on Monday, July 13 at 12 pm Pacific Time prior to the 2015 Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders.

Beginning in March, approximately 625,000 youth participated in over 4,400 competitions that took place across North America. Scotts, the "Official Lawn Care Company of Major League Baseball," is in its third year sponsoring the grassroots program. Aquafina, the "Official Bottled Water of Major League Baseball," is also a supporting sponsor of the program.

Pitch, Hit & Run participants advance through four levels of competition, beginning at the local level, continuing through sectional and team championships. The top three competitors nationwide from each age group (7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14) advanced to the 2015 Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run National Finals.

The skills competition is part of the "PLAY BALL" initiative between Major League Baseball and USA Baseball, which encourages widespread participation in all forms of baseball activities among all age groups, especially youth. The new program highlights the many ways baseball can be played, including outside of the traditionally organized baseball leagues and tournaments, ranging from playing catch, stickball and Wiffle ball to participating in skills competitions like Pitch, Hit & Run. The initiative also provides players, parents and coaches with information and resources to help find events and leagues as well as proper play and instruction through PlayBall.org.

The 2015 All-Star Game will be played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Tuesday, July 14. The 86th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports.