This past weekend six top fall travel teams came together to take part in a showcase tournament at Baseball Factory Field at UMBC and Shipley Field at the University of Maryland, College Park. These teams came together not for the baseball, but for a man and his family. Last October the baseball community lost Kelly Kulina the former Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory from 2001-2009. As a titan in the baseball world Kelly’s reach was immeasurable. Countless high school, college and professional players have been touched by his tutelage. He helped raise millions of dollars for these players through college scholarships. This past weekend was our way to give back to the man who gave so much.

The Kelly Kulina Classic was developed to honor Kelly’s legacy and it turned out to be more successful than anyone could have imagined. With the backing of Baseball Factory, six top teams and over 155 players got to showcase their skills in front of over 40 college recruiters and professional scouts (click here to view the full list). With no costs to the teams for playing in the tournament and no cost to fans, this event was purely about giving back. The goal of this event was not only honor Kelly Kulina for all that he did for the game of baseball but to give back to his family and to his children. The Kulina Children’s Educational Fund was set up just after Kelly’s death to help fund Kelly’s children as they go through grade school and onto college. Donations were collected throughout the 3-day event. Along with the donations, 100% of all concessions and gear sold were donated to the fund. Through the generosity of the teams, players, parents and friends over $4,000 was raised for the fund.

Baseball Factory would like to thank All-Star Baseball, Allegheny Pirates, Mid-Atlantic Red Sox, Maryland Oriolelanders, Under Armour Rookies and Tidewater Orioles for participating in this very special event. We would also like to thank Under Armour for providing gear for each of the teams. We hope to make this event even better in 2011.

If you would like to contribute to the Kulina Children’s Education Fund please do so by making donations payable to:

“Kulina Children's Educational Fund"
SunTrust Bank
8200 Snowden River Parkway
Columbia, MD 21045