Under bright, sunny skies and with a little light breeze, players, coaches, parents, siblings and grandparents all gathered at the Hogan-Ennis sports complex on Saturday, March 7 for the Escalon Little League inaugural Opening Day.
New this season, the older baseball and softball groups are playing under the Little League banner, with a volunteer board governing the non-profit organization, while the younger teams, including T-ball, remain under the auspices of the Escalon Recreation Department.
All players took their spots behind their signs set up on Largent Field at the complex, settling in about 8:30 a.m., and giving the crowd time to arrive before the 9 a.m. start time for the ceremonies.
Serving as emcee was Steve Largent, who offered thanks to those who had the vision to bring the Little League opportunity to the young ballplayers.
“To our board members, volunteers and sponsors, thank you for your time, support and commitment to build this league from the ground up,” Largent said. “We would like to thank the City Of Escalon for its support and partnership as we work to launch this league and their willingness to work with us and help make these fields available has played an important role in making this season possible.”
He highlighted the efforts of the city’s Public Works Department in getting the fields ready for Opening Day and noted their continued efforts, along with offering thanks to coaches for their dedication to teach the kids the rules and love of the game.
“To our parents and families, thank you for supporting our players and for being a part of this new chapter for youth baseball in Escalon,” Largent said. “And to our players, this is your season; you are the first group of players to represent Escalon Little League. Work hard, support your teammates, respect the game and most importantly, enjoy the experience.”
The crowd then joined in the Pledge of Allegiance, with the National Anthem sung and the ceremonial first pitch thrown by Everett Powell, whose American Crane Rental company supplied a huge American flag atop a crane, flying over the Hogan-Ennis complex for the day.
Largent also introduced each of the teams, with the kids able to share their banner and walk around home plate, waving to the fans as they paraded on the infield and returned to their spot.
Following the ceremonies, some players hit the fields to warm up for their first game of the season, while others took advantage of some other opportunities offered on Opening Day. Among the festivities, there were a couple of bounce houses, Velcro ax throwing, face painting, a pitching machine to register speed, the batting cages were open, and there were coffee and shaved ice vendors, along with the snack shack being open for business.
The focus of the day – and the season – will be, as Largent put it, “teamwork, sportsmanship, development and fun” as the ballplayers of all ages learn more about the game.
Little League President Randy Waters said overall, the Opening Day events went well.
“Beautiful day, perfect day for Opening Day for us … it was almost flawless, we forgot a baseball, that’s like the only thing,” Waters said of a board member having to quickly find a baseball for the ceremonial first pitch. “The kids were good, they lined up, we did everything exactly the way we thought it was going to go, so really happy with today.”
