Rougarou Baseball Team and Entrepreneur Kelly Sills Team Up to Help Local Kids

BATON ROUGE, La., July 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Entrepreneur Kelly Sills recently made a financial contribution to the Collegiate Texas League Baton Rouge Rougarou Baseball team, citing the team's positive impact to the community. The Rougarou players teach local children baseball skills through summer camps, but according to Sills the children learn so much more.

"Kids learn teamwork, character, and resilience. No matter if you struck out before, you keep going back up to the plate – you keep trying and improving. Those are valuable life lessons learned early-on in baseball," said Sills.

The team's home – iconic Goldsby Field in Baton Rouge – remained quiet last summer due to precautions from COVID-19. Sills wanted to help the recently minted collegiate team since they had to manage a global pandemic after just launching in the fall of 2018.

A few years ago, thousands of people in the Baton Rouge area voted on the team name. It was through community insistence that the team became called the Rougarous, a historical reference from the 1700s. Louisiana is littered with stories of a mythical werewolf/swamp monster that disciplines disobedient children – the Rougarou.

The franchise will not receive any City-Parish dollars, according to The Advocate. Instead, the team will invest its own money into renovating Pete Goldsby Field, which was built in 1956, during the reign of Major League Baseball power hitters Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron and Harvey Kuenn. 

The beloved field is testament to the historical thread extending throughout American baseball. The franchise established a plan to steadily make improvements, first to the sound system, the netting behind home plate, and concession areas, per The Advocate reporting. 

Collegiate players come from California, Idaho, Arizona, Iowa, Texas, and Louisiana.

"This incredible team represents the talent and diversity found in baseball. Baseball remains one of America's favorite sports and small franchises like this help solidify a community. I am honored to help support them," said Kelly Sills.

About Baton Rouge Rougarou

Established in 2018, the team boasts over 20 of some of the finest baseball players in the nation.

About Kelly Sills 

Kelly Sills is a Louisiana-based serial entrepreneur who is dedicated to philanthropy. A family man of faith, he contributes significant time and money to organizations in order to create a better future and a kinder world.

SOURCE Kelly Sills