Opening Day is a home run for Amherstburg minor baseball

Callan Aguilal makes contact last Saturday morning at Malden Centre Park.

Spring is in the air and that means the return of baseball.

The Amherstburg Minor Baseball Association (AMBA) held its Opening Day festivities at Malden Park last Saturday.

“Today is opening day for the season. All the kids get to come out, meet their coaches, and get their jerseys,” said AMBA president Sarah Anderson.

The day started with the organization’s youngest players, four-and-five-year-olds divided into six teams and playing on three diamonds. That was followed later in the morning by U7 and U9 and over at Wigle Park, next to the former General Amherst High School. It was time for U11 and U13 to kick the year off.

With his brand new glove, Nolan Laing was ready to play at Opening Day.

According to Anderson, the Cardinals now have six T-ball teams, five in the U7, and the most ever in U9 – four teams.

“For the first time we are playing a house league because we have enough kids.”

It was not always that way and it was just five years ago the AMBA was close to coming to a halt but now thanks to baseball for the Cardinals and the girls fastball division, the Firebirds, ball in Amherstburg is booming.

“When I started we had one T-ball team and one U-9 team. We have grown from two teams to 26 in five years,” said Anderson.

There is now a total of 70 T-ball players on six teams and for second-year division convenor Stacey Vigneux, Saturday’s opening day at Malden Park was mostly about getting a few swings in, running the bases and of course, having fun.

“We try and make T-ball as easy as we can. We just teach them the basics and the mechanics,” she said.

Having six teams and 70 players requires a lot of co-ordination and commitment. Vigneux says it is great to have the support from the parent-coaches.

“We noticed last year that a lot of parents wanted to coach.”

Opening Day was not all about baseball  as there was a bbq, facepainting and a 50/50 draw. Several members of the executive board were on hand proudly wearing their Cardinals’ shirts.

Anderson said that besides the many house league teams, Amherstburg will also field select squads in U11, U 13, U15 and U18.

“There is a need and we want to do it for the kids. We have a big enough town, and we want to offer it to as many as we can.”

Opening Day is a home run for Amherstburg minor baseball

By Fred Groves