Play Ball
Catlettsburg Little League Sign-Ups Going On Now
Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
Hey batter… batter! There is a hint of brick dust swirling about the air. The smell of peanuts and hotdogs is all around us and if you listen carefully, you might just hear the sounds of a rounded leather ball being hit off metal bats followed by the roar of the crowd and people yelling… “GET HIM OUT!”
It’s baseball season! What better way to welcome baseball season than to join the oldest baseball league in the state of Kentucky. Catlettsburg Little League was founded in 1955 and has been serving the youth of our area ever since. Currently, Catlettsburg Little League offers leagues for all ages. Josh Gilbert, President of Catlettsburg Little League, stated, “Here at Catlettsburg Little League we offer tee-ball all the way through senior league from ages four to sixteen.” With such a rich history in America’s favorite pastime, it’s no wonder the league has been around this long.
Gilbert is no stranger to the game of baseball himself and his love for the game began at a very young age. “I played Little League Baseball here at this field and for this league as a kid. I was at the right age where I was able to start playing when we were still using Haney Field for some things, about a year after the move from Sandy City to Park Street. The event we looked forward to the most from our childhood was little league baseball sign-ups. We didn’t care about anything else. Our lives consisted of riding bikes from one end of town to the other, swimming at Dreamland, and playing Catlettsburg Little League. That’s it,” Gilbert reminisced.
For anyone that has ever been around a baseball field, you know that the game of baseball goes far beyond the field. The lessons and friendships that are gained through the sport is what it is all about. “They pick up so much more than just learning how to hit the inside corner of the bag or hitting a cutoff man. They learn skills about life and what it takes to be a good person, what it takes to be a good friend and a good teammate. They do it without even realizing it. By getting involved in little league baseball, kids gain not just role models but heroes who they can look up to. Baseball offers so many experiences that they don’t really realize how truly great they are until they get older. Little League Baseball is by far the best youth program to be involved in, and that’s my own personal opinion, but I truly believe in it,” declared Gilbert.
Catlettsburg Little League is currently running its yearly signups, which end on March 4. If you missed one of the in-person signups, you can register online at tshq.bluesombrero.com/CatlettsburgLL or you can message Catlettsburg Little League on their Facebook page to sign up. “Our fee for playing is $50, and that is a flat fee. No extra uniform fees or anything else. We want to remain the lowest priced youth organization in the area if possible. That amount is fairly friendly for most family’s budgets. But if it’s not, we can work with anybody and any situation to get their kids on the field. Absolutely, 100% we will never turn a child away,” stated Gilbert.
