Play Ball: Cambridge Little League kicks off new season
CAMBRIDGE — Mother Nature cooperated Saturday morning by keeping the forecasted rain away to allow most of the opening day festivities for Cambridge Little League annual season kick off.
A parade of players, coaches and volunteers started the day, with the parade route starting at the Cambridge Primary School then going up Edgewater Avenue past the Cambridge City Pool to the Little League fields at Cambridge City Park.
Following a flag rising ceremony by members of the Cambridge VFW, players took to various fields for game action.
Cambridge Little League director Travis Daugherty, entering his third year, was thrilled with the amount of people who attended the event.
"Today was just a great day, I think our best Opening Day in years," Daugherty said. "We had a great crowd, we sold out of our 266 chicken dinners by 11:30. Tom Lanning and his crew were out there working hard again this year. Good to see a lot of people coming out to support our Little League program."
Cambridge Little League baseball was first chartered in 1952, and this year features a total of 330 kids participating, which is an increase from Daugherty's first two years guiding the program.
"Unfortunately, I had to turn some away so we could get things started on time," Daugherty said. "I could see us having 500 kids next year, it seems like there is a new energy with the program. I'm getting more people wanting to volunteer and help out."
Another sign of the renewed interest is with the amount of area businesses who have contacted Daugherty to volunteer as sponsors.
"I had 50 business sponsors this year, ranging from $100 to $1,000 donations, which is tremendous," Daugherty said. "To get that kind of community support is huge for us and is greatly appreciated. Little League baseball is alive and well in Cambridge, and that's due to the great support we receive from this community."
Team breakdown for this season include eight tee ball (4-5-6 year olds) teams, six coach pitch (7-8), four minors (9-10), three 50-70 division (11-12-13) and two challenger division teams.
"Our Little League facility is looking very good, and ready for some baseball," Daugherty said. "We have upgraded our speaker system, got a new storage building. You can just feel the excitement and energy up at the park. I'm excited and looking forward to a great summer season of baseball for our young people."
KSutton1@gannett.com; X: @KSuttonDJSports; Instagram: kevinsutton_dailyjeffsports
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Numbers on the rise for Cambridge Little League baseball
