The 4th annual Trent Goscha Memorial Baseball Tournament is set to take place this week, with game play slated to begin Thursday and cap off on Saturday.

Hosted by Roaring Fork High School, the tournament will see six teams make their way to Carbondale from different areas throughout Colorado to compete in honor of Trent Goscha, who unexpectedly died in 2016. 

Goscha, who grew up under Mt. Sopris and played baseball for the Carbondale Recreation League, was a Three Rivers Little League All-Star. A baseball fanatic, Goscha was set to attend Roaring Fork High School in 2017 before passing away as an eighth-grader.

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“He was always a very honorary kid,” said Goscha’s mother Jayme. “He used to tell me that he was going for a bike ride and I used to think he was getting into mischief. Really, he was just riding his bike to go help build the new baseball field. Baseball was his passion.”

Growing a relationship with current Roaring Fork High School head baseball coach, Marty Madsen, who happened to be Trent’s physical education teacher in elementary school, Trent always had big dreams to be coached under Madsen and represent his high school on the baseball team.

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“He always used to tell me that he couldn’t wait to play for me once he got to high school,” Madsen said. “I think that was the most heartbreaking part for me was realizing that we were never going to get to share that together. It was something that we were both really looking forward to.”

After Trent’s passing in 2016, the idea to host a tournament in his name was one that Madsen couldn’t pass up. 

“I’ve always wanted to do a tournament and this was a great opportunity to do a tournament but also do it in the honor of someone that I really cared about and the community cared about,” Madsen said.

While the Goscha family grieved in the absence of their beloved son, the idea to hold a tournament in Trent’s name was a flattering one.

“When we were approached by Marty (Madsen) and told that they wanted to hold a tournament in Trent’s name, it meant a lot to us,” Jayme Goscha said. “Marty let Trent go to batting practice with the team when he was in seventh and eighth grade, so he really felt like he was part of the team even though he wasn’t. We know Trent would love it and we love it, too. It means a lot to us.”

Participating teams include Roaring Fork, Buena Vista, Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Canon City and Cortez. Each team will have the opportunity to play in three games throughout the weekend, with the winner between the top Pool A and Pool B teams being crowned champion on Saturday.

Games will be played at Ron Patch Field, located between Carbondale Middle School and Crystal River Elementary School. 

The tournament will also be selling t-shirts, cups and raffle tickets to be entered into raffle prizes throughout the season. Each team will also be provided with at least one free meal during the course of the tournament.

Proceeds from the sales will go towards a $2,700 award that will be granted to a Roaring Fork High School senior baseball player who exemplifies the best work ethic and characteristics throughout the season, in honor of Trent.