Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Kyle Hampton Morris League co-founders Dante (left) and Dominic Morris take a look at the students trying out for the two teams Tuesday, Oct 9. Dante, coach of the Red team, and Dominic, coach of the Black team, are both members of the Olympic Weight Lifting team. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Kyle Hampton Dominic Morris, co-founder of Morris League, discusses the basics with a tryout after practice. Dominic and brother Dante are members of the Olympic Weight Lifting team and have created the Morris League for those who want to have some fun after school. [Click to enlarge]

Donte and Dominic Morris are twins who have always wanted to play baseball. They started playing baseball at a young age and by the time they graduated high school, they had played two years of varsity baseball.

After high school, the brothers had the opportunity to go to Texas Southern University. After a messy scholarship and financial situation, they decided to stay closer to home.

The brothers came to Sacramento State in the fall of 2006 and immediately tried out for the Hornet baseball team. Neither made the cut.

"The coach wasn't really feeling us," Donte Morris said.

The brothers felt they weren't able to play the sport they loved after being cut from the Hornets baseball team. To keep busy, they joined the Sac State weightlifting team and showed their athletic talent by winning Pacific Weighting Association Championships last spring.

Despite their success in weightlifting, the brothers still had the desire to play baseball. Because they couldn't play for Sac State, they wondered how they would be able to play at all. The twins' father Paul came up with the idea to build their own league.

"They couldn't play for the school, so (why not) just start their own league," Paul said.

"Our dad believed in us and felt we could make a league of our own," Dominic said.

The Morris brothers were considering it, but still were unsure until another family member made them do it.

"They wanted to play baseball for their school (and) they couldn't with that team (Hornets) so (why not) make their own league to play at school," said Sherri Morris, the twins' mother.

"She said it was time for us to get some jobs (and) she also liked the idea of us starting our own league. So we felt like, 'Hey, we're business majors, let's get our entrepreneurship on,'" Donte said.

The twins decided to start their own club baseball team knowing it was going to be risky for them, starting with the money.

"No one gave us anything. Our league was paid for out of our own pocket," Donte said.

"We paid thousands to get it started; it's our investment," Dominic said.

They were able to get the money, which went toward starting the league, as well as game essentials, such as hats, bats, jerseys and money toward field time. The Morris twins were feeling good about their project and realized what the league could be about.

"Me and my brother love baseball. We just wanted to play. Our league is built on the foundation that we're creating opportunities for athletes to play baseball past high school. (If) the school team isn't feeling you, fine, just go try out for our league," Donte said.

Given the recognition by Sac State as a sports club, the brothers' project is now a reality, with the first season beginning at the end of this month.

Their league is beginning, but the Morris twins have already dreamed of bigger things.

"Our league's got our own website. We're gonna have our merchandise being sold in the Hornet Bookstore. This league is gonna to be big at Sac State," Dominic said.

"We need sponsors through...sponsors (to) invest in our league. We're doing big things and our league is already a success," Donte said.

The league has 10 teams already established, with the first tryouts occurring early this month. The brothers want their league to grow at Sac State and elsewhere.

"We're gonna keep going. We wanna have the Morris League at Chico State, Cal, San Diego State, all over California. We can take it as far as we want to," Donte said.

The brothers are proud of their project and want others to look at them as examples of two average college guys who just wanted to play baseball, were denied, but instead of giving up, found a way to make their dreams a reality.



Lamont Weaver can be reached at lweaver@statehornet.com

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