The Atteberry family, Owens family, Andes family, friends, business and community members join together for fun, for competition and to remember a loved one lost too young at the 20th anniversary of the Joshua Atteberry Family Memorial Softball Tournament.

BIGGS, CA (MPG) – With the sun already beating down a bit too hard, a group gathered at the Biggs high school baseball diamond marking the 20th anniversary of the Joshua Atteberry Family Memorial Softball Tournament.

Since his loss, the Atteberry family has invited the community that knew and loved Joshua to honor his memory in an all-ages baseball game. Proceeds from registration and funds raised from raffles are dedicated to scholarships in Joshua’s name and donated to local youth groups and organizations.

With emotion in her voice, Melissa Jesmer, Joshua’s mother, opened the tournament, thanking all who turned out in the heat Saturday, July 12 to play and all those who sponsored the event.

Tiffany Andes leads her team (brown tank top) shaking hands with their opponents after finishing the first game of the Joshua Atteberry Family Memorial Softball Tournament.

 “While admittedly we are all competitive,” Jesmer cautioned, she reminded all adult players of the “exempt player” status put into place for the children (all small children get home runs no matter when up to bat whether they earn a hit or not).

Team captains Tiffany Andes, a childhood friend of Joshua’s, and Taylor Atteberry, Joshua’s daughter, got their teams into the dugouts and ready to field.

Home advantage would go to Andes team, with Atteberry’s up to bat first. Three little ones at the top of the line-up would knock in three “home runs,” after which the adults would take over.

T.C. Smith V (center) pictured with his children, Elle (left) and T.C. Smith VI (right) gets ready to play ball!

Atteberry would end the first inning with one run batted in by an adult player.

Andes would send three up to the plate after their littles ran the bases but they would quickly be knocked down and sent back out to the field again.

And so it went, with friendly competitive banter and laughter interspersed with serious ball-handling skills and plays for the next five innings.

With only one official “over the fence” homerun allowed per inning, Andes’s team’s last inning would only profit from one of the multiple homers launched out of the park onto Rio Bonito Road.

Melissa Jesmer wanted the 20th anniversary of the tournament to be special, so local Treavor Coats donated a Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 shotgun to be raffled off at the tournament. Coats (left) is pictured here with a grateful Jesmer (right).

In a stunning, game-ending catch, Jacob Owen would race to get under a pop fly, loosen his feet from under him and fall backward, somehow managing to catch the ball for the out.

Final score would sit at 14-3, Atteberry over Andes for the first game win of the tournament.

The Herald can bear witness that the game was as much fun to participate in as to watch and the feeling of being part of the family was felt by those in attendance.

T.C. Smith V (right), with Jacob Owen, visiting from San Diego, play in the family memorial tournament honoring their late cousin and friend.

Celebrations surrounding the life of Joshua Atteberry and the tournament continued well into the evening, with an after-party held at the Jesmer home. A variety of gift baskets would be raffled off, including a Benelli Shotgun donated by Treavor Coats. The winner of the shotgun raffle name was withheld for privacy purposes.

The Joshua Atteberry Memorial Family Softball Tournament would like to thank 2025 sponsors: Treavor Coats Trucking, Todd and Carol Lewis, Jerold and Janet Smith, Grandma Owen and in memory of Grandpa Owen, Law Office of Melissa A. Jesmer, Top Quality Diesel Repair, Travis and Lacey Arms, Sandy Laver, Jeff and Toni Fridrich, the Locher Family, Clint and Adrienne Owen and family, Owen and Locher Tax Services, Uncle Todd, Aunt Melanie and family, Shelby Title and Trevor Horn Title & Company, Pheasant Club, and Josh and Kathryn Sheppard.

The late Joshua Atteberry’s daughter, Taylor Atteberry, steals third base after an overthrown ball to second base. Trevor Horn is pictured in the background.