ATLANTA, Dec. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- It's not often
that youth athletes have the unique opportunity to share their
memorable plays with legendary pro ballplayers they admire and with
sports fans around the world, but HiCast Sports Network is proud to
make that dream come true with the HiCast Sports 2019 Most Valuable
Play Awards for Youth Baseball and Softball Presented by
Rawlings.
Judges for the 2nd annual contest, legendary Hall of Fame
Shortstop and 13 time Rawlings Gold Glove Award recipient
Ozzie Smith and 2020 USA Olympic
Softball Player Keilani Ricketts Tumanuvao selected the Top 3 Most
Valuable Plays for Offense and Defense for Baseball and Fast Pitch
Softball from more than 2,300 video highlight entries shared by
HiCast Sports mobile app users from top ballparks across the
country. Winners and their Moments That Matter™ in each category
can be viewed online at:
http://www.hicastsports.com/2019-mvp-winners
The three-phase contest began on November
7th with HiCast Sports team selections for the Top 25
Semi-Finalists in each contest category. Winning ballplayers range
from age eight to 18. The general public cast nearly 9,000 votes
online for the Semi-Finalists to determine the Top 10 Finalists in
each category.
Keilani Ricketts Tumanuvao
shares, "I'm so excited to be a part of this year's HiCast Sports
MVP Awards Presented by Rawlings. We are so used to seeing the top
plays of collegiate and professionals aired on TV and social media,
but we know these athletes didn't just wake up one morning and
start making great plays. They were once in these young athletes'
shoes making the same top plays in crucial situations just like we
are seeing in these HiCast Sports Network highlights."
Ozzie Smith adds, "I love seeing
young kids out playing baseball and experiencing the competition.
Overall, the videos I viewed all share the players' enthusiasm for
the game along with good sportsmanship. Case in point, the opposing
catcher congratulating the young man who hit a home run. They're
all winners."
"This is our second year hosting the contest in
partnership with Rawlings. It's a meaningful way for us to
celebrate these young athletes and their teams with a broader
audience of fans and professional athletes they admire," said
Stephanie Calabrese, HiCast Sports
Network Co-Founder and Chief Brand
Officer. "Capturing and elevating these memorable moments
for players and families is what we're all about."
Rawlings provided a powerful lineup of prizes including their
new 2020 Quatro Bats and Rawlings custom gloves for the winners;
Rawlings Covert Duffle Bags for the finalists; and $25 Rawlings Gift Cards for all
semi-finalists.
About HiCast Sports Network
HiCast Sports Network is
a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company which
allows youth athletes, their coaches, families and fans to view and
engage with sporting events live and on-demand at top ballparks
across the nation anywhere, anytime, on any device. The app makes
it easy for users to not only see the whole game, but to save,
trim, zoom and share their Moments That Matter™ in clips or
highlight reels. HiCast operates with a robust network of partners
(venues) and promoters (sporting leagues and event organizers) with
which they cultivate win-win relationships. HiCast Sports Network
users from around the world have watched nearly 3 million game
minutes featuring hundreds of thousands of athletes playing at
premier venues in Delaware,
Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri,
New Jersey, New York, South Carolina
and Texas. For more information, please
visit: www.hicastsports.com
About Rawlings
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc.
is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods
worldwide. Founded in 1887, Rawlings is an authentic global sports
brand, trusted by generations of athletes of all skill levels.
Rawlings' unparalleled quality, innovative engineering and expert
craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional
athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose
Rawlings. Rawlings is the Official Ball Supplier and Batting Helmet
of Major League Baseball®, the Official Ball Supplier of Minor
League Baseball™ and the NCAA®. For more information, please visit
www.rawlings.com
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SOURCE HiCast Sports Network