Baseball Tournament Held in Memory of LITH Boy, Raises Money for Cancer

Despite his battle with cancer, Brian Krueger still took to the baseball field to play for the Lake in the Hills Youth Athletic Association from 2002 to 2004. He loved the game, as it was his way to escape from his illness.

Brian lost his battle with brain cancer at the age of 11 on Dec. 23, 2005.

In his honor, the YAA sponsors an annual baseball tournament. Fifty percent of the funds raised are donated in Brian’s name to the Midwest Children’s Brain Tumor Center in Park Ridge, where he received cancer treatments for seven years.

“It is necessary that I tell people about Brian,” said Ken Krueger, Brian’s father,  during the tournament's opening ceremony on Thursday. “He had a contagious smile, and he wanted to be like the other kids. Most of all, he loved baseball. But what he said he wanted the most was to be healthy.”

This year, the 7th annual Brian Krueger Memorial Tournament kicked off July 11 in  This year has seen the most teams sign up for the tournament: 61. The tournament runs through July 15.

The tournament is a “celebration of Brian’s life,” Ken Krueger said during the opening ceremony.

At last year’s tournament, 50 teams participated and the YAA donated $7,000 to the center. The goal for this year is to make the tournament “even better,” according to the tournament entry form.