Hastings Little League Celebrates Opening Day of Spring Season
Hastings Little League Celebrates Opening Day of Spring Season
The day was marked with a parade and opening ceremony
by Janine Annett
Hastings-on-Hudson — The return of Major League Baseball may be exciting, but for many kids in Hastings, nothing beats the feeling of Little League starting up again.
The new spring season of Little League in Hastings-on-Hudson was marked with a parade of ball players and their coaches marching through downtown Hastings. The teams were escorted by the Hastings-on-Hudson fire and police departments while proud parents cheered everyone on.
The parade route ended at Zinsser Field, where opening ceremonies took place. Chloe Spagna sang the national anthem.
Josh Phillips, President of Hastings Little League, made opening remarks as did Hastings Little League Safety Officer Tom Drake and Hastings Mayor Nicola Armacost. League Softball Vice President Barbara Rizzo threw out the first pitch.
There are 27 Hastings Little League teams this year, ranging from Kindergarteners playing t-ball to seventh graders playing baseball and softball.
Little League President Josh Phillips has three children, all of whom have played (or, in the case of his youngest child, is still playing) baseball or softball in Hastings Little League. Phillips is also coaching the minors team The Cyclones (sponsored by the Refill Room) this spring.
Everyone is welcome to play in the Little League, says Phillips. Although it’s traditional for girls to play softball and for boys to play baseball, girls can choose to play baseball if they prefer.
Having played Little League baseball himself, Phillips has seen things through a player’s and coach’s perspective over the years. “My favorite part of Little League is seeing the growth,” said Phillips, who has been President of the Hastings Litle League for a year and on the Board for two years. “The kids in Little League are at an age where even in a single spring season — which transpires over about 10 weeks — we see tremendous improvement in ability and maturity. It’s not just about baseball, it’s also about understanding what it’s like to be on a team and being a good sport. We see growth in a season, and also year over year, since a lot of Little League coaches end up coaching these kids as they move up through the league.”
Hastings Little League coaches, who are all volunteers, do their best to make the teams within each division as even as possible. They hold evaluations and of course, get to know the abilities of many kids as they play multiple seasons. Depending on the number of players and number of teams each year, teams will either play other Hastings teams in their division or may also play teams from neighboring towns in Westchester.
A full roster of this year’s teams and their sponsors is below.
T-ball (Kindergarten) :
Dodgers (sponsor: Eyes on Hudson)
Mets (sponsor: Bread & Brine)
Phillies (sponsor: Carpet Gallery)
Yankees (sponsor: Boro6)
Rookies baseball (1st grade-2nd grade):
Barons (sponsor: PBA)
Crawfords (sponsor: John Doherty And Al Hernandez Realtors)
Grays (sponsor: Uncle Lefty's)
Monarchs (sponsor: Edge Martial Arts)
Senators (sponsor: Maud's Tavern)
Stars (sponsor: Sakura Garden)
Minors baseball (3rd grade-4th grade):
Clippers (sponsor: Straub)
Cyclones (sponsor: Refill Room)
RiverDogs (sponsor: Riverarts)
Tides (sponsor: Southside Social & Athletic Club)
Majors baseball (5th-6th grade, 7th grade if born after 8/31/11):
Bears (sponsor: Window Genie)
Hawks (sponsor: The Sundheim Group)
Tigers (sponsor: Southside Social & Athletic Club)
Rookies softball (1st grade-2nd grade):
Pride (sponsor: Carvel)
8U softball (2nd grade-3rd grade):
Gryphons (sponsor: Pizza Grill)
Panthers (sponsor: The Riolo Team)
Rams (sponsor: Slices)
Red Storm (sponsor: Visual Difference Hair Salon)
10U softball (4th grade-5th grade)
Gaels (sponsor: The Jim Harmon Fund
Jaspers (sponsor: The Hōm Team)
Mavericks (sponsor: The AZ Team NY)
12U softball (6th grade-7th grade)
Lightning (sponsor: Vulpone Lawn Care)
Vikings (sponsor: Constantine Law Firm)
Looking for another way to support the Rivertowns Current?