DNR Sports Staff

For the eighth year in a row, not counting last season, the Harrisonburg Turks will host the Valley Baseball League All-Star game.

This year the event will be on Sunday, July 11 at Eagle Field at Veteran’s Memorial Park.

Batting practice begins at 3:30 p.m. and pregame events will start at 5:20 p.m. with the Home Run Derby and 60-yard dash. The game itself will start at 7:30 p.m.

The 2021 VBL Hall of Fame class will also be announced, according to Harrisonburg manager Bob Wease.

There was no All-Star game last year due to the pandemic. The cost of tickets is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children ages 3 to 12. Children wearing a sports jersey will be admitted free of charge.

Wease, the manager since 2002, won his 500th game with the Turks earlier this week.

|It’s a nice feeling to know I have been doing it this long,| Wease told the News-Record on Thursday.

He is a member of both the Valley League and Rockingham County Baseball League Hall of Fames. Among the Major Leaguers who have played for the Turks include David Eckstein, Mo Vaughn, and Juan Pierre. The Turks return to action Friday night with a home game against Covington at 7:30 p.m.

Rosario Rocks

Michael Rosario (Miami) went five-for-five for the Turks in an 11-7 loss late Wednesday at Charlottesville.

He lifted his batting average to .352 for the season. Elon product Carlos Marte of the Turks is hitting .283 with two steals.

Harrisonburg’s Logan McClure, in games through Wednesday, led the league in ERA at 1.12 in 16 innings of work. He is from West Virginia Tech.

The Turks were second in team ERA at 3.77, back of Charlottesville, before games on Thursday. Harrisonburg had seven saves and had given up just 11 homers – both marks were second best in the league.

The first-year pitching coach for the Turks is Larry Erbaugh, a standout hurler at Turner Ashby and at the University of South Carolina. Erbaugh pitched at South Carolina for Coach Bobby Richardson, a standout second baseman for the New York Yankees.

|He is doing a great job for us,” Wease said of Erbaugh, who pitched in the Valley League as well. “I think he is thrilled to be back in baseball.”

Harrisonburg is 10-10 with six wins in the last 10 games.