For many youngsters, the Iola Recreation Department’s summer baseball/softball season is the highlight of the season. It gives children the opportunity to compete for bragging rights with their friends, improve their skills, and most importantly have fun.
Originally, practices were set to begin on May 1 and games starting later in the month, but COVID-19 pushed back those start dates. The schedule was changed to start practice on June 1, and begin games on June 29.
Having already lost the spring soccer season to the pandemic, youth ball players were relieved to get back out on the field.
“I can’t explain it! It is nice to be able to get out and have some competition, and let the kids have some fun playing baseball,” youth baseball coach Brandon Thomas said. “It was a long shot for us to even have this.”
Thomas coaches the Piqua State Bank bitty ball team, a machine-pitch baseball league for seven and eight-year olds. From day 1 of practice, Thomas pointed out his youngsters were ready to take the diamond.
“The first practice, there were smiles and a lot of jumping up and down,” Thomas said. “You can tell that they miss getting to play and getting to be around their friends.”
With practicing starting earlier than usual and games later, keeping ball players tuned in to detailed coaching tips has become a challenge. Doug Desmarteau coaches the Sonic Drive-In bitty ball team, and joined forces with Thomas’ squad on Monday to give players a taste of live action.
“We have cut it down, and have started scrimmaging just to give them some games,” Desmarteau said. “You can only let them practice so long before they play somebody, so it was good that we had this scrimmage tonight (Monday).”
Desmarteau believes that the long quarantine break has played its benefits for his coaching instruction.
“They have been listening well, and more attentive than normal,” Desmarteau said. “Now, it is not a bunch of running around and picking dandelions like they have been doing,, so having something like this is good.”
Safety over the pandemic is still a concern for coaches. Following the conclusion of Monday’s scrimmage, there was no saying good game and giving each other a high five. Instead, coaches had players yell “good game” outside their dugouts.
Desmarteau said that parents have not show many signs of concern over COVID-19. Still, coaches and players are doing all they can to stay safe, but keeping kids in-line 24/7 is a challenge in its own right.
“Kids are going to be kids,” Desmarteau said. “You can tell them to social distance, but it is tough.”
