Frank Cembellin, who was recently inducted to the International
Babe Ruth League Hall of Fame, threw out the first pitch to
kick-off the San Benito Babe Ruth League’s Spring Season on Feb. 28
at Veterans Memorial Park in Hollister.
HOLLISTER
Frank Cembellin, who was recently inducted to the International Babe Ruth League Hall of Fame, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to kick-off the San Benito Babe Ruth League’s Spring Season on Feb. 28 at Veterans Memorial Park in Hollister.
Family and friends were on hand to see the Hollister native toss the ceremonial pitch, while Skyler Shaw-Fuss of the Giants caught for Cembellin, who currently resides in Brookings, Ore.
Cembellin, 85, was unanimously elected to the Hall of Fame during the league’s annual Board of Directors Meeting on Nov. 20, joining a distinguished list of baseball names like Ford Frick, Vada Pinson and Vernon “Lefty” Gomez.
Cembellin is the first inductee from San Benito County, and just the 11th from California to be inducted since 1968.
He was directly involved in the development of youth baseball in the area. In 1953-54, Cembellin helped build three baseball fields – two Little League and one Babe Ruth – upon 37 acres of donated land from the Somavia and Renz families, an area now known as Veterans Memorial Park.
Two years later, between 1956-57, Cembellin helped organize the Babe Ruth program in San Benito County, and even donated his time to help build the concession stand, the dugouts, the announcing stand and the barbecue pits, among other things.
On April 24, 1957, Cembellin and Fred Marentis organized and chartered with Babe Ruth Baseball.
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Photos courtesy of Lynn Stephens, Babe Ruth League Photographer
For more about Frank Cembellin’s induction, go here.
