-
Submitted photo Magnolia Haynie, 5, hangs out in the dugout with her teammates before her game in the coach toss league at Bryan Park. There are 26 Little League teams this spring
Brandy Haynie, a Little League parent and coach, said he knows how important the organization is both for kids and for Oglethorpe County.
“It’s important to not just do the travel ball, but to stay involved with the community as well, and foster those relationships with the kids that are actually in the community,” Haynie said.
Haynie’s children, Magnolia, 5, and Jackson, 8, play on a co-ed coach toss team and the 10u Minors team. Despite Jackson's involvement in travel ball with Athens Elite, Haynie said Little League helps players improve their skills.
“It’s just a good community group, a good group of parents. I mean, really good kids,” Haynie said. “And that’s what I enjoy about it so much, just being around those kids and making them happy, and them having a good time and learning about baseball.”
Children start playing softball and baseball at 4 years old, with a co-ed league for ages 4-6 teaching the fundamentals before joining gender-specific leagues.
Michael White, director of the recreation department, spearheads the Little League program. White said the atmosphere of the baseball fields is a laid back place to learn the game.
“For me, it’s just a fun time,” White said. “It’s a great time of the year; this park is very family-oriented.”
Little League consists of 26 teams and starts in early March and runs through mid-May.
There is a tryout process for coaches to draft their team based on the kids’ skillsets to make for competitive gameplay. The teams travel to Athens and to other counties.
After the regular season, they make an All-star team in June with the top 12 players from each age group, starting at 7 years old. This team travels for district play, and the winners get to compete in a tournament, which is the start of the Little League World Series.