WH youth baseball kids, coaches honored at varsity game
It was a bit of a crowded house on the diamond during the second annual West Holmes Youth Baseball Night as 320 players and their coaches united for the big event.
Usually, teams only run nine players out on the field in the average baseball game.
On Friday, May 3, the West Holmes Knights decided to play 320.
The reason the field was jam-packed with players was because it was Youth Night at West Holmes, where each of the West Holmes School District baseball teams from Tee-ball to Little League were invited to don their team colors and parade through a gauntlet of current high school Knights players, who provided plenty of high fives and encouragement to the youngsters who turned out in force to enjoy the game against Cambridge and receive the applause and recognition of a big crowd.
While the evening honored the youth, it also credited the many coaches who devote their time to working with the young players, helping them develop skills that will perhaps one day help them find their way to the varsity field as a Knight.
“We owe these coaches a lot for their dedication to coaching,” head coach Wyatt Mellor said. “They’re sacrificing their family time to practice, for games, running back and forth everywhere. It takes a lot, and we are grateful for their effort because a lot of times they don’t get a lot of thanks. Without them we wouldn’t have a program.”
With 320 youngsters parading through the celebratory gauntlet of Knights players and gathering together near the pitcher’s mound for a group photo, Mellor said it is exciting to think about the former Knights getting a head start on becoming varsity players, and seeing so many of them is encouraging.
“This is so great to see,” Mellor said. “Not only is this wonderful for all of these little community teams who provide a place for these kids to develop their skills, it’s great for our program here at the high school level because any good program starts right here at these younger levels.
“This is huge for our program. You want kids to get excited about the game, and this is where it all starts. This program begins at the bottom and goes right to the top, and hopefully, this shows our coaches and kids how important they are to us and to the program.”
Mellor said in addition to being an exciting moment for the youngsters, it also serves as a fun time for the varsity and reserve players who greet them because many of the current crop of high school players were at one time in those smaller spikes, working to improve their game and find their way to playing varsity ball.
Mellor said it’s also exciting because many of these younger players might look at these high school players as role models and players they aspire to become one day.
“This is great for our guys,” Mellor said. “You can see by the way they are greeting and cheering on these kids that this is fun for them. They’re over there greeting these kids coming through, and the kids’ faces just light up.”
This marked the second year for the event, one Mellor started last year that has grown quite popular among parents, coaches and kids in a hurry.
Mellor said he started it simply to give kids a chance to get to a game to experience the action at the varsity level, especially under the lights, where every youngster dreams of playing.
He said oftentimes the team plays during the week when not many people attend, so to bring everyone together on a Friday night under the lights makes it special for everyone.
“A beautiful night, a big crowd under the lights to watch a Knights’ game, it kind of gets everyone excited and really kind of ushers in the youth baseball season,” Mellor said.