New K9s to be introduced at McKeesport K-9 Classic

The sixth annual McKeesport K-9 Classic youth baseball tournament will once again take place this weekend at Renzie Park.

The event, which supports the McKeesport Police Department’s K-9 unit, will feature the arrival of three new four-legged officers to the force – K-9 Moxie, K-9 Steel and a K-9 bloodhound.

The event will feature 67 teams featuring ballplayers ages 8 to 13 that span four states.

K-9 demonstrations were held Thursday and will be held again this evening at Jamie Brewster-Filotei Memorial Field at 5:30 p.m.

In addition to today’s demonstration, the McKeesport Fallen Heroes Scholarship Fund will present an award to this year’s McKeesport student recipient in honor of Officer Sean “Slug” Sluganski with money raised from the SLUGFEST tournament in April.

Fans and players can look forward to in-game announcing, music during intermissions and food trucks. There will also be a full menu of items at the Home Plate Concession Stand.

Teams will be vying for McKeesport Baseball Touranment’s “Largest Champ Trophy in the Mon Valley,” which will also be on display during the tournament.

“The K-9 Classic is one of three marquee events for MBT and we’re excited to kick off the 2024 summer baseball season,” said Jen Moslander, event co-director of McKeesport Baseball Tournaments. “Our goals this year is to introduce the communities to the new K-9 officers and raise money for the ongoing care of all five dogs while providing a fun and competitive youth baseball tournament in the beautiful space of Renzie Park.”

While the tournament will feature a number of top teams from the area, the goal is to continue the tradition of fundraising for the police department’s K-9 unit. “Having the financial support from this event every year has enabled our K-9 unit to bring on three new dogs, which is especially important to us after losing K-9 Farkle in January,” police Chief Mark Steele said. “We expect they will elevate the quality of the service we can provide to the area and we’re looking introducing them to the community.”

The tournament is one of the largest fundraisers for the unit.

“Being able to partner with McKeesport Baseball Tournaments has eased the burden of fundraising on our K-9 handlers and our volunteer network,” said police Lt. Fran Angert. “Since we’re a self-funded non-profit, it’s a challenge to have all the resources needed on reserve to take care of the dogs if something unexpected happens.”

A number of volunteers will many various areas of the event, donating their time to raise funds and take part in the great community event. Some of those groups volunteering include the McKeesport K-9 Unit, the McKeesport Police, the McKeesport Fallen Heroes Scholarship Fund, the City of McKeesport and McKeesport PONY-Colt Baseball.

Officer Anthony LeDonne is a first-time handler and will partner K-9 Steel in the city.

“I’m honored and excited to be able to take on the role of handler and partner to K-9 Steel in McKeesport,” LeDonne said. “I’ve been looking forward to this opportunity for years.”

McKeesport Baseball Tournaments is an organization that aims to support and strengthen the McKeesport community through baseball events and local partnerships. Along with the K-9 Classic, MBT hosts SLUGFEST and Halloween Havoc – while partnering with fellow McKeesport- based organizations. These relationships have infused thousands of dollars into some of McKeesport’s most valuable resources. For more information about any event or how to partner with MBT, please email hello@mckbaseballtournaments. com.