Bigfork Youth Baseball getting started
Spring is here and that means so is baseball season. Bigfork Youth Baseball has hit the fields and is gearing up for their opening games in the coming weeks.
The Babe Ruth team, which is made up of 14 and 15 year-olds, will be the first to officially start with their season opener just five days away on Tuesday, April 28 at 6 p.m. at the Bear Creek field on Highway 83. The team of 11 boys has five players returning from last year's team, which finished third in the Glacier League. Returners are Kyle Parker, Brett Sward, Cody Dopps, Mitchel Harsh and Luke LaFontaine.
"We are kind of young on experience," said head Babe Ruth coach James LaFontaine. "We have some kids back from last year, though, and they were a real good team last year."
Cold temperatures kept the team from being on the field until last week, but they still prepared for their 2009 season by practicing their throwing and running through drills in the Bigfork Middle School gym for the last month. LaFontaine said that he is still working out who will play what positions and as recently as last week he was still adding to his roster.
This is LaFontaine's first year coaching the Babe Ruth team, but he has been a Bigfork Youth Baseball coach for 10 years.
"I'm excited about coaching Babe Ruth this year and seeing what this team can do," LaFontaine said.
This is also his fourth year serving as president of Bigfork Youth Baseball.
"We'll be ready to go," LaFontaine said of his team's upcoming season. "We'll be competitive. We have some good young hitters and some good fielders too."
Dopps will be a key player for Bigfork this year, having made the Glacier League All-star team the last two years. Harsh was named to the league's 13 year-old All-star Team last year as well.
The Babe Ruth team recently got news that they will be receiving a scoreboard for their Bear Creek field that was donated to the Glacier League by the Kalispell Lakers. The team is now hoping to raise money to pay for installing it.
In addition to the Babe Ruth team, Bigfork Youth Baseball also has six T-ball teams this year for kids four to six years old. There are four rookie teams for seven to eight year olds. This is the second year that Bigfork has had rookie teams.
"It's exciting because it gives them a middle ground to work on their skills," LaFontaine said.
Athletes that are nine and 10 years old play on one of Bigfork's three minor league teams. Eleven and 12 year olds play on Bigfork's two major league teams. In all, there are about 180 athletes participating in Bigfork Youth Baseball this year.
Opening day for the rest of Bigfork's teams will be May 2 at Carlisle Johnson field. Games will start around 10 a.m. and opening ceremonies will be at 11 a.m. The T-ball teams are expected to play first and the older teams will each have an opportunity to take the field throughout the day.
"I'm excited to see the kids play at all of the levels," LaFontaine said of the upcoming season. "It's about the kids and giving them an opportunity to play baseball."