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Andrew "Bull" Nolt, a well-known athlete and student at Garden Spot High School, may have lost his battle with cancer on Sept. 30, but his dream to attend college will now benefit future Spartans.
Friends of the Nolt family are organizing a one-pitch softball tournament July 17 to 19 to raise funds for the newly established Andrew T. "Bull" Nolt Scholarship fund.
The tournament, "Bull's Summer Classic," will be held at Bowmansville Memorial Park and Brubaker Park. Each team is guaranteed two games, with trophies awarded to the first-, second- and third- place teams.
Each game will last seven innings and follow the traditional rules of softball — except for one: each batter receives only one pitch.
As if approaching the plate with a full count, a batter can walk, get a hit or strikeout. Because only one pitch is allowed, a foul ball counts as a strikeout.
Registration, which ends Friday, is $150 per team.
Nolt earned his trademark nickname when he played Little League ball and resembled former Philadelphia Phillies slugger Greg Luzinski.
"He was given that name when he was 8 years old and it stuck," Sue Sanger, president of the scholarship committee, said.
Nolt, who was planning to study engineering and play baseball at Messiah College, was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma during his senior year at Garden Spot.
According to the National Cancer Institute's Web site, Ewing's sarcoma is a rare bone tumor that typically occurs in white, male teenagers.
When Nolt was first diagnosed, family friend Tina Hoffert organized a tournament to help his family with medical bills. Overall, the 28-team tournament raised about $10,000.
"It would be great if we could do that again," Sue Brendle said, who is helping oversee the fundraiser.
The committee hopes to raise enough money to give the scholarship fund a solid base.
The committee announced its first recipient on May 19, awarding Garden Spot senior Andrea Gamber $1,000. Applicants must have at least a 3.5 GPA and play basketball, baseball or softball.
In addition to the softball, a silent auction and raffles will take place for items including "mini vacations" and tickets to the professional Football Hall of Fame, Rainbow Dinner Theatre, Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre and Lancaster Symphony Orchestra.
The silent auction, held at Bowmansville Memorial Park, runs until 4 p.m. Sunday. Raffle ticket drop-offs and concession stands will be at both locations.
Hoffert said organizers will continue to collect items for both the auction and the concession stands until the day of the tournament.
"I know that times are tough right now for a lot of people, so I'm just grateful for whatever," Brendle said.
To register a team for Bull's Summer Classic or donate items to the silent auction, contact Hoffert at 914-9447.
E-mail: smweaver@lnpnews.com
