Plymouth Wiffle Ball tournament raises funds for mental health scholarship

The Jake Thomas Williams Memorial Scholarship Wiffle Ball Tournament is set for Saturday, June 27, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Forges Field Road in Plymouth. The fundraiser has already brought in $4,895, or 32 percent of its $15,000 goal, and 27 supporters have backed a field of nine active teams.

Jake Thomas Williams was born May 3, 1996, was raised in Tyngsboro, graduated from Tyngsboro High School in 2014 and attended Becker College. He was serving in the U.S. Navy when he died Aug. 19, 2020 at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii at age 24. The scholarship in his name is aimed at students who want to work in mental health services and suicide prevention, and eligible applicants are high school seniors planning to study social work, therapy or psychology.

The bracket uses a field setup. Teams are built around three to five players, with a maximum of 10 allowed and five a side. Base paths run 40 to 45 feet, the pitching distance is 36 to 42 feet and the outfield fence sits 75 to 100 feet from home plate, with cones marking out-of-bounds territory. Registration opens at 10:30 a.m., and if weather turns, the event moves to VFW Post 1822 on Seven Hills Road in Plymouth.

Side games and activities run alongside the tournament, South Shore Smokehouse is bringing a food truck, desserts will be sold, and raffle prizes include a Total Wine tasting event, Nashoba Valley lift tickets, Celtics tickets, a golf outing and themed baskets.