Baseball tournament looks to bring awareness to mental health

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- More than 50 high school teams are coming to St. Joseph the next two weekends to participate in a baseball tournament for a good cause.

Kevin Kerns, co-owner of Walkoff Wood Bat Co., said profits from the event will go towards the Mosaic Behavioral Health Patient Assistance Fund.

"A lot of people when they're having their struggles do not want to talk about it, they want to keep it bottled up," Kerns said. "Maybe just coming, having a good time will change your day, make it a positive day and maybe that changes where they go in the future."

This is the second annual Walkoff Wood Bat high school baseball tournament. In 2024, the tournament raised $6,000, which was matched by Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary.

Britani Manthe, program administrator of behavioral health at Mosaic, said the patient fund helps in many ways.

"We have purchased a cell phone before for people to be able to use when they leave, bus tickets. Sometimes patients come to visit family and then they have a crisis that happens and they don't have any way to get back home," Manthe said. "Not everyone's family is able to afford to get them back to where they need to be."

This year, Kerns' goal for the tournament is to raise $10,000 to $15,000. Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary will match up to $10,000. The cost to get into games is $5, and T-shirts also will be sold.

Manthe said it is important to bring awareness to mental health.

"There's not a lot of discussion when it comes to people who are struggling with their mental health," Manthe said. "Especially if you are a professional in the community or you're not struggling with substance use disorder or having issues with your socioeconomic status. I think that is something that we've seen a lot this year."