Our Mission
“We set out to show our kids how to have fun and be good teammates.
We ended up bringing whole families together.” -Larry Dierker
Dierker’s Champs, a Cy-Hope program, is on a mission to inspire and uplift kids in Cy-Fair through the power of baseball! Guided by the legendary Larry Dierker, former Houston Astros All-Star pitcher and manager, we’re all about delivering top-notch baseball instruction in a fun and supportive environment. Our league opens the door for kids to experience the thrill of organized sports, helping them grow in character, discipline, and sportsmanship. We believe that the excitement on the field translates into success in life, empowering our players to reach their full potential!
The Dierker’s Champs Story
In the beginning, Cy-Hope funded two elementary schools, Andre and Francone. Many of these kids had never seen a glove or bat, let alone played catch. Many families couldn’t afford the Cy-Fair Sports Association (CFSA) fees, so we sponsored them. They were beaten badly game after game. Fortunately, they still enjoyed playing.
After three years, CFSA eliminated the “Friendship” level of competition. Our two schools weren’t ready to play “Select” or “Elite” baseball. They weren’t even close to this level of play. This is when we made the decision to disband our two teams.
After a year of inactivity of our sponsored teams, we formed an alliance with SpringSpirit, a baseball program with similar goals - good baseball and good family values. SpringSpirit brought us back to life, but they were growing too. In 2018, we started our own league serving Title I elementary and middle schools in CFISD.
Fast forward to 2024, and we are in the process of building out our brand new Cy-Hope Youth Sports Complex with plans to open in 2025!
By The Numbers
2011 - 2013 - Dierker’s Champs (DC) enters two fully-funded teams in Cy-Fair Sports Association (CFSA) Friendship level with economically-disadvantaged players. We also have 12 affiliated teams playing.
2014 - CFSA stops allowing friendship teams; Cy-Hope disbands our sponsored teams.
2015-2017 - DC partners with SpringSpirit - 100% focus on economically- disadvantaged players (no more affiliated teams).
2018 - Present - DC rents three Cy-Fair ISD fields and operates as an independent league serving Title 1 schools.
2022 - Even in the midst of COVID we have more than half of our 2020 teams returning.
2024 - We’ve grown into 17 teams with 250+ students playing per season with plans to double our numbers with the opening of our new Cy-Hope Youth Sports Complex in 2025!