Ahwatukee boy makes his sandlot baseball dream comes true

All Nathan Wessel wanted to do was play baseball.

So, the 11-year-old Ahwatukee sixth-grader had an idea: recruit some kids in the neighborhood for a sandlot baseball game.

Now, it’s on the verge of becoming a weekly event, thanks to Nathan’s idea and a little help from the Ahwatukee411 Facebook page.

Two weeks ago, the Desert Garden Montessori sixth-grader put a handwritten note near a mailbox cluster in his neighborhood saying, “Like a lot of other kids, I love baseball.”

He quoted baseball legend-turned-sporting-goods-tycoon Albert Spalding, writing, “Baseball gives a boy self-poise and self-reliance...Baseball is a man maker.”

With tepid response to his note, Nathan’s mother, Valerie Wessel posted a photo of the note on Facebook.

Meanwhile, another neighbor, Isaac Williams, located a field.

Soon, some parents decided they’d bring their kids as well as a cooler full of beverages to keep them hydrated.

And by the time the game was held last week, 25 kids, mostly boys but some girls, showed up.

The next game is 6-8 p.m. tonight, July 25, at Mountain Vista Park behind JCPenney.