PITTSFIELD, Mass. - A Massachusetts man has taken his personal connection to cancer and turned it into a successful fundraiser. Joe DiCicco lost his wife to cancer in 2000. He knew he wanted to honor her memory, but to him, golf tournaments are a dime a dozen.

"I'm the baseball guy so let's try baseball," DiCicco said. "All day baseball. It's going to be our fifth year so obviously it's working."

Striking Out Cancer in the Berkshires started with just a handful of people playing baseball all day at Buddy Pellerin Field at Clapp Park. Three divisions will play from nine in the morning until five in the evening.

Hundreds now take the field in what has become an annual tradition, all raising money for the Jimmy Fund and Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

"We've got a lot of people that are fighting it, that have overcome it that show up," said DiCicco. "And they'll tell me their story, which is great."

DiCicco says he's getting help from both the Boston and Worcester Red Sox with items to fundraise with this year.

When asked what he thinks his wife would say about the event, he replied with a smile, "I think she would be amazed. Especially coming from me. It was just a whim."

Whether you lace up your cleats or watch from the side, DiCicco is encouraging everyone in the community to stop by during the day.

"It's just, it's amazing," he said. "It really is. I don't have words to explain it. Inside, you feel good. And everybody around here feels good. And that was my goal."

The event is scheduled for Saturday, June 28. Last year, they were able to raise more than $10,000. So, for the fifth anniversary, it's a pretty simple goal: beat that number.