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Date: 12/28/2020
AGAWAM – Agawam Little League has officially opened registration for the 2021 spring baseball and softball season.
According to AJ Christopher, who is the organization’s president, Agawam Little League normally holds evaluations for players who have registered at a local indoor gym so coaches can assess where everyone is at skill-wise. Per Little League guidelines, every player that participates in these evaluations must get selected by a team.
The problem this year, according to Christopher, is that gathering everyone in an indoor gym is just not feasible due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“If we have nice weather, we can obviously socially distance outside,” said Christopher, with regards to the evaluation process. “If we’re still in a state where it’s not good for gatherings, then we’ll probably just do blind draws.”
Christopher said that although the evaluations usually occur in March, the registration now will be beneficial in determining where the organization should go next with the spring season.
“Some parents are still fearful of what’s to come, which is completely understandable,” said Christopher. “We’re just trying to get an idea of where we stand before we start paying for our charters, and getting all of our stuff set up.”
Agawam Little League did have a successful 2020 fall baseball and softball season, according to Christopher. Practices and games were conducted with sanitation devices and safety guidelines. Baseballs were rotated in and out, and the children had to wear masks when they were near baserunners and fielders.
During this fall season, which had 50 participants not including field-of-play employees, parents and attendees were spread out in the outfield, and the bleachers were closed.
“We were able to comply with both state and local guidelines,” said Christopher. “We were able to have a pretty good fall season.”
Player development clinics are also currently underway at Batter’s Box in Westfield on Monday evenings. According to Christopher, the clinic, which was sold out its first week, is for children of different ages. There is no long-term commitment for the clinic. Players who are interested can attend as many sessions as they want.
“I think parents are eager to get any source of normalcy for their children to play,” said Christopher.
In the past, softball players would bounce around different locations to play games. The town and Agawam Little League will now have all softball games at the three fields at Borgatti, according to Christopher. All of the fences were also shortened to fit Little League distances.
The pitcher’s mound, base paths, and some of the fences were also improved at Memorial Field, which is another location where games are played.
“Anything we can do to get the word out, and get kids playing, and give them a sense of some normalcy, is great,” said Christopher.
To register for the spring 2021 season or for information about the leagues available by age group, visit https://www.agawamlittleleague.com.