Jared Dull is both a parent and a volunteer coach with the Harrisonburg Little League Association. Dull balances supporting his players while working full time, serving as a longtime member of the Harrisonburg community. Born in Staunton and raised in Harrisonburg, Dull played on little league teams up until he went to Harrisonburg High School before graduating in 2004. Jared Dull shares his joy for the game with his three children, Troy, Charlie and EJ. His son Troy is starting his fourth year with HLLA. “He had a bat in his hand before he was two years old,” said Dull. He believes baseball offers important values and lessons on teamwork that other sports simply cannot imitate. “It's the best team sport I know of, because it requires everyone to come together. So I tried to make sure my sons had a similar experience to what I had growing up.” Both Charlie and EJ are entering into their second year with the HLLA. The recipient of a local “Little League World Series” trophy, Dull cherishes his memories of playing for the Minnesota Twins. To this day, he stays in touch with many of his old teammates, some who went on to play at the collegiate level for programs such as Virginia Tech. Having lived in the area his whole life, Dull has seen first hand how both Harrisonburg, and its league have grown over the years. “I have seen Dean work hard to make HLLA bigger and to increase participation. He did it his own way, and he’s really getting the community more involved.” Dull is a prime example of the dedicated parents that maintain the all-star reputation of the HLLA. From player to parent to assistant coach, Dull will be entering the 2019 season as a returning head coach for a farm league baseball team. “I try to get my hands involved in just about everything we do. My whole family gets involved with fundraising.”
While his role as a dad brought him back into the league, he explained how local community members can support the league regardless of if they have children who play. “My team sponsor doesn’t have kids but is invested in baseball. There is no better way to serve than to serve your local community, all while getting your name out there,” he said.
36 Comments
By Sam Greene (JMU Class of 18) The Harrisonburg community is a wonderfully supportive one. That’s exactly why the Harrisonburg Little League Association (HLLA) has a consistent group of volunteers that have no children or no stake in the league volunteer. They want to show their support and their pure love of the game and the children in the league. That volunteer group would be delighted to take on a few more sports lovin’ citizens—especially parents! Donnie Ange, a mechanic by day and HLLA coach for nine years now, was first asked by a friend to step in to coach a baseball team. He’s still doing it. Donnie shares, “Honestly, fun is what keeps me around now.” By Hannah Marrero (JMU Class of 2017) How do the Harrisonburg Little League Association and the Harrisonburg community team up to finance their love of the game? It’s not easy to pitch a perfect game. However, a little teamwork and a lot of dedication can make anything possible. That is exactly how the Harrisonburg Little League Association and the Harrisonburg community team up to fund the local children’s love of baseball and softball. In 2015, roughly $60,932 was needed to fund all 28 of the Harrisonburg Little League teams. This money goes toward uniforms, supplies, league support, umpires, and funding for team members whose families can’t afford the registration fees. By: Carrie Holland (JMU Class of 17')
There’s a first time for everything. Especially baseball for Christmas. Including Little League at Christmas. After almost a year of brainstorming and preparation, Harrisonburg Little League Association takes their place in the city’s annual Holiday parade taking place in downtown Harrisonburg Dec. 2, Friday at 7:00 p.m. The time for a Little League Christmas has come.
By Bri Sayasithsena (JMU Class of 16)
What does it mean to be a coach for 13 years? Coach Mike Engle knows. Coach Engle and I met to talk about some of his most memorable moments as a coach. An endearing and committed part of the team, Coach Engle reminded me that being a coach is more than wins and losses—what matters most are the children. After moving to Harrisonburg for his junior year of college at Eastern Mennonite University, Coach Engle has remained for the past 32 years. During that time, he did some coaching for his church team and softball leagues for adults. He engaged in some construction work for about ten years, then moved into computer work. For the past 13 years, he has been an active volunteer for the Harrisonburg Little League Association. He has three children, all of whom have played for the Little League. He started when his older son played t-ball and moved through the leagues with him. Currently, he is coaching the team his younger son Josh plays for. And now, it has been 13 years since he started coaching children at HLLA. |
DisclaimerHLLA Story is an official blog site of the Harrisonburg Little League Association. All content is managed by Bluestone Communications, a student-run public relations agency at James Madison University. Please contact Isaac Woo ([email protected]), faculty director of Bluestone Communications, if you have any questions about the blog or the stories. Archives
April 2021
Categories |